Declaration
by VickyVicarious
Summary: The Uchiha have always been known for their unfaltering perception. But Sasuke never completed his training with other Uchihas and anyway, with Naruto saying "I love you" left and right, he can surely be forgiven for misunderstanding... can't he?  -Slash-
1. Declaration

This fic is my birthday present to myself. Not because it holds any special birthday meaning or anything, but because I wanted to post something on my birthday and this happened to be about ready. Or at least the first chapter was.

Also, this fic is set after the Wave arc, operating on the slight AU that nothing chuunin-exam related has happened. It's just one of those kind of generic set-whenever not-too-serious romance fics. Because those are fun and easy to write, especially with Sasuke and Naruto. And I felt like it. Oh, but because of this, there will be some Sakura-bashing. Nothing unreasonable, given her character at the time, and mostly coming from Sasuke, but this _is_ in Sasuke's POV, so... yeah.

Not sure how long it will end up being. I've got a good 17 pages written, and I'm breaking it up at roughly four to five pages per chapter, but I'm not sure yet how much more I'll write, though I do have a rough plan. Still, this shouldn't be more than eight chapters, tops. Enjoy.

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><p>Sasuke woke up one morning three hours too early to a face hovering over his, dimpled cheeks and blue eyes filling his vision.<p>

"I love you, dumbass," Naruto greeted him cheerfully, and Sasuke promptly shot a fireball into his face.

Then rolled over, and closed his eyes once more.

-xxx-

"Your breath stinks," was his own greeting to the other genin, though admittedly several hours later so perhaps Naruto could be excused for his perplexed expression. It wasn't as if, of course, Naruto exercised any sort of efficiency in either his thoughts or words, so it followed that the boy wouldn't be able to connect two events just a few hours apart.

Even if the first had been his own declaration of love; generally the sort of thing considered as being worth remembering.

But Naruto didn't _seem_ to remember, and Sasuke certainly wasn't going to remind him – his teammate's saying that sort of thing had yet to manifest itself in public and Sasuke definitely didn't want to encourage the blond to do so. It could, after all, have been nothing more than a one-time act of insanity, typical of Naruto.

In the meantime, though, Naruto was trying to smell his own breath by blowing out into his cupped hands then quickly sniffing the same. It didn't seem successful and Sasuke turned away with a slight, "hn".

In his peripheral vision, Sakura arrived and for some reason he didn't catch hit Naruto so hard on the head that he flipped over the railing of the bridge and into the river. She then turned to greet him, but Sasuke's eyes had already slipped closed, his breathing relaxed despite the splashing and yells assaulting his ears.

He'd arrived exactly on time as always; knowing Kakashi, he'd have more than enough time to catch up on his required hours of rest.

-xxx-

Sasuke woke for the second time that day to dimpled cheeks and blue eyes (Sakura somewhere screeching not to bother her darling Sasuke's precious sleep), and this time almost panicked. If Naruto said or did _anything_ here, in public – in front of Sakura no less, who he knew would never let it go – he'd have no recourse but to murder the idiot.

This thought in mind, Sasuke reacted before the blond could speak; immediately leaping into a combative position, he struck out and flung Naruto over the bridge for the second time that morning. This time though, there was no splash. Naruto had caught himself with a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, and used a foot to push off the railing and launch himself back onto the Uchiha.

Several minutes of intense, but predictable, grappling followed until they were finally separated by a bored Kakashi arriving out of nowhere in swirl of leaves.

"Now, now, Naruto, Sasuke," he scolded, tugging them apart by their shirt collars and tossing them roughly towards either end of the bridge. "I'm shocked at your lack of dedication. To hold up the entire team's training purely for selfish reasons is absolutely unforgivable, you know." In the moment of disbelief and collectively rising outrage that followed his statement, the masked jounin actually had the audacity to waggle a finger and say, "Shame on you!"

Sakura shrieked. Naruto pounced (and missed). Even Sasuke twitched and directed a vicious glare at a nearby twig.

Their sensei's mask lifted in his usual smile, and a typical day of training began.

-xxx-

After they were done for the day, Naruto did it again.

"Come on, let's all go get ramen, _rameeeeen_," he was wheedling, literally begging Sakura on his knees. He was totally ignoring Sasuke, who – though he didn't mind of course – was a little confused.

If Naruto supposedly loved him, why was he still so clearly fawning over Sakura?

Of course, it was right as he was thinking this that Sasuke had to take a sharp step to the right to dodge Naruto's attempted glomp. "Sasuke, you're coming too!"

A hand fisted in the back of his shirt before he could step fully out of reach, dragged him closer, and for just a single moment, Naruto's mouth brushed his ear. "Love you, now let's get some food," he whispered with hot breath before letting go, and Sasuke yanked away furiously.

He spun around to glare hotly at Naruto, but the blond boy was already back to pleading with Sakura, acting as if _nothing_ had just happened!

A tic started up in Sasuke's eye, and he spun right back around to face the opposite direction. Glaring at everything, he stomped up the path, completely ignoring both teammates that ended up following him.

Somehow, that path happened to lead into the street that held Ichiraku Ramen (a completely unintentional choice on his part). Sasuke ended up sandwiched unwillingly between his teammates, Sakura pressed disturbingly close and Naruto completely absorbed in his fourth bowl of miso ramen to the point of forgetting all else –apparent love interests included.

Sasuke took a deep breath, berated himself as a fool for even caring, and blew gently on his own (first) bowl of miso, cooling the steaming surface.

-xxx-

Luckily, that was the end of the declarations for the first day, and when he woke up the next morning it was to the mildly less irritating _breeeeep-breeeeep_ of his alarm clock, no Naruto in sight. Sasuke promptly flung several kunai at his clock, but the damnable thing was geared for ninjas and made of very strong stuff, so nothing but getting up and turning it off properly silenced it. By that point of course, Sasuke was fully awake anyway, and his daily rituals commenced as if the interruption of yesterday had never happened.

As the day continued, and in fact for the rest of the week, Sasuke began to think that perhaps the whole thing had been some odd hallucination on his part, or – more likely – temporary insanity on Naruto's, since the boy didn't make any signs of continuing his little whatever-that-had-been.

Sasuke would like to say that he'd forgotten all about the whole affair by the time several days had passed without Naruto repeating those three perplexing words; but in fact very few people had ever told Sasuke they loved him. His family hadn't approved of expressing emotions too much anyway, so Sasuke could count on his hands the number of times he'd been told he was loved before the massacre. After it – well, he got plenty of confessions and love letters in the Academy, and some of his more persistent fans still sent them. Sakura practically confessed daily, too, but to Sasuke that wasn't the same. It was fangirlism and thus completely worthless, not even to be considered.

But Naruto, whatever he was – and he was a great many things – was certainly not a fangirl. This was undeniable, and in fact Sasuke didn't think he'd ever heard the other boy profess love to anyone – or any_thing_ for that matter, but ramen and the color orange. He claimed to like Sakura for some ungodly reason, but not _love_ her.

So Sasuke's sudden upgrading (if you could call being on par with orange and ramen an _upgrading_) was perplexing and attention-grabbing. It wasn't quite as easy to forget as it should have been, even when Naruto freely claimed to hate him at least ten times daily. Sasuke couldn't help but puzzle over that somewhat, despite never attempting to understand Naruto's reasoning before.

Thus, when Naruto finally confessed (_was_ it a confession, really?) again, after sixteen days of acting like nothing had happened, Sasuke was not quite as irritated as before. In fact, he was almost relieved, because he would have hated to be putting so much time and mental effort into unraveling something that meant nothing to Naruto. He didn't like the thought that Naruto, who spoke of love as infrequently as Sasuke himself, was capable of declaring it just on a whim and then forgetting about it.

Of course, none of that was to say that Sasuke reacted _well_ to the third claim of love.

-xxx-

They were sparring in the woods, both winded heavily and covered in dirt, sweat, and sewage from the truly disgusting D-rank they had taken earlier that day. In fact, the two boys were so rank that they'd both been refused access to the Hokage Tower, so Sakura and Kakashi (both having avoided the messy part of the job because they were a girl and a jounin respectively, and therefore apparently exempt from anything even remotely involving sewage blockages) had gone to drop off the mission scroll and receive the team's payment by themselves. This left Naruto and Sasuke alone, and before Sasuke had managed to escape to the nearest stream or shower, Naruto had leapt at him on some pretext of Sasuke having killed fewer giant sewer rats – he'd killed about four more than Naruto, actually – and the sparring (or really, fight) began.

They'd been going at it for over two hours, and the sun was setting; they'd skipped lunch earlier so Naruto's stomach growling almost drowned out his insults, and even Sasuke was close to giving up just so he could get to dinner already. But both boys were too stubborn to halt first, and the fight might have lasted all night if Naruto's ankle wasn't caught in the crook of a branch during a particularly athletic dodge and jerked to the right with a sickening _snap!_

Naruto's face went white and Sasuke took advantage to leap close and hold a kunai to his throat. After several seconds of glaring, Naruto's shoulders slumped in defeat, and Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned to retrieve his teammate's ankle from where it was wedged in the branch.

Naruto yelped and gripped hard on Sasuke's arm, but the whole process didn't take long and soon Sasuke was dumping his teammate on the dirt. He kneeled forward to look at Naruto's foot, only to be stopped by the invalid in question.

"I'm fine, it's nothing," Naruto insisted.

"Don't play tough, stupid, you've probably broken it," Sasuke scowled back, but Naruto's grip on his wrist only tightened and finally, with a scoff, he gave up. "Whatever. Don't blame me when you get suspended from missions for a week."

Naruto grinned and let go. "I won't," he promised, and then, without any warning, he met Sasuke's eyes and in a matter-of-fact voice said, "I love you."

The moment of almost-camaraderie was broken instantly. Sasuke jerked back to his feet, eyes wide and emotions swirling. He didn't have any words to retort with, it was so sudden – and Naruto was still just grinning at him like nothing had happened. The other genin wasn't fleeing (which made sense, given the broken ankle) or changing the subject or doing anything else that might convince Sasuke the words had been his imagination, just _grinning_.

So– Sasuke punched him in the face and fled using all his speed, went straight home forgetting about food and straight to bed forgetting about bathing. He closed his eyes, shoved his face into his pillow, and refused to even _begin_ to think about what had happened or what Naruto could mean, because this time was definite. This time wasn't a dream or a misunderstood whisper as the others could have been, and Sasuke had no clue how to respond to the first real time someone had told him they loved him in six years.

He didn't want to comprehend it, especially since it was _Naruto_, of all people– instead Sasuke forced himself into sleep and tried desperately to delay the inevitable consequences.

-xxx-

But in the morning, unexpectedly, the consequences did not come.

Well – of course Sasuke woke disgruntled, stinky and incredibly hungry. The dirt and sewage muck was caked onto his skin and in his sheets, which made for an irritating wake up and laundry to do. But the real _consequences_, the ones involving Naruto – they never came.

Naruto arrived at the bridge like always, jogging up and waving obnoxiously and saying one too many hellos to Sakura. He didn't even glance in Sasuke's direction, which – while perfectly normal – was irritating and confusing in equal measure.

More confusing, though, was the lack of any mark on Naruto. Bruises from sparring aside, which Sasuke could understand being hidden or not a big deal, he had punched Naruto _hard_, right in the face. But there was no mark, not even the tiniest bruise. …And Naruto had _jogged_ up to the bridge, showing absolutely no sign of favoring the ankle that had been broken or at the very least badly sprained the night before.

The bruise thing could maybe have been makeup or even Sasuke, in his panic, misjudging how much force he had used. It was potentially explicable – but the ankle was perplexing enough that Sasuke, despite his resolve to not invite any contact with Naruto after yesterday, had to ask.

"Oi, idiot," he said, interrupting Kakashi's excuse of the day (apparently there had been an emergency involving a bull and a china shop), "what about your ankle?"

Sakura and Kakashi gave him perplexed glances, as did Naruto, _oddly enough_. Sasuke was actually beginning to fear that the whole thing yesterday hadn't happened at all, and he was truly going crazy or something – but then Naruto's eyes widened in understanding, and he laughed forcedly.

"Oh, that?" Naruto rubbed the back of his head, waggling the ankle in question slightly in front of him. "It's fine. It was nothing, like I said."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, because there was something strange here and he was starting to suspect it wasn't him. "It was _broken_."

Naruto's grin turned a little nervous, and he put his foot back on the bridge in a vicious stomp. In his peripheral vision, Sasuke noticed Kakashi's visible eye widening slightly in understanding – though _he_ still had no clue.

"Look, see?" Naruto stomped again. "It's fine. I'm telling you, it's fine. Even _you_ can be wrong sometimes, jerk."

Sasuke didn't choose to fall for such obvious baiting; only staring at the ankle in question for several seconds more before turning away. "Hn."

And that was that.

Naruto didn't mention the previous nights' events again, even though in normal circumstances he would have been raving at Sasuke for punching him after the spar had ended. And even though Sasuke watched carefully, Naruto's ankle really did seem fine; he was putting normal amounts of stress on it and showed no signs of pain or impaired functioning. It was all very… suspicious.


	2. Aggravation

Shorter chapter this time, sorry. It just worked out that way. But it's a quick update, so maybe that'll make up for it? ...Maybe not. Oh well.

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><p>This time, only two days passed before Naruto repeated his words. Then a week before he repeated them again. Four days after that, he said them again. And again, eleven days later. And again - for a month straight it was like this.<p>

Sasuke did everything he could to stop them, but the confessions (_were _they confessions, though?) just kept coming. Naruto seemed able to take any slightest opportunity. Even though Sasuke completely avoided being alone with him, Naruto always seemed to know when he'd be in a corner with no escape or examining his weaponry or vulnerable in _any way_ to a sudden whisper or mutter or out-loud confession.

Sasuke had reached the point where he was willing to spar with _Sakura_ during team sessions, just so Naruto wouldn't seize an opportunity to mouth, "love you," while trying to stab him again.

It was ridiculous. And stupid. And confusing. And Naruto _still _didn't show any sign of being affected, and it was driving Sasuke utterly _insane_.

It… held all the hallmarks of a Naruto prank, and when Sasuke finally realized this, he cursed and flung the scroll he had been struggling to keep his attention on out the window.

He stomped outside in a righteously murderous haze of killing intent that sent even his usually fawning neighbors to the other side of the street, and headed towards Ichiraku Ramen. Naruto would be there. He _had_ to be. Because Sasuke was angrier with him than ever before, and was seriously considering stabbing his eyeballs out.

Sasuke was furious, vengeful, and – he realized after arriving at Ichiraku's only to be forced to wait since Naruto wasn't there at the moment – betrayed. He actually felt _betrayed_ to realize that this was just some sort of prank to drive him crazy. Because in the past month and a half that he'd been receiving Naruto's confessions – no, jokes – he'd actually been affected by them.

Sasuke had started to watch Naruto, as discreetly as possible and always from a distance, but unable to resist. He'd taken notice of what Naruto did and said, and how Naruto felt and reacted to things. He'd studied Naruto incessantly; unable to leave aside the mystery of why such a person would confess to loving Sasuke. Unable to understand, after a while, why he _would_ even love Sasuke in the first place.

Naruto was, Sasuke had discovered after some time watching, extremely contradictory and mysterious in ways even Sasuke himself wasn't. The whole thing with the ankle had been the beginning – no matter how little it made sense, Sasuke was _certain_ that it had been broken, and time had only proven him correct. Once he was actually paying attention, it was easy to realize that Naruto had to have some sort of special bloodline that rapidly decreased his recovery time and, perhaps, even gave him more chakra and stamina than most. After all, no matter what sort of injury Sasuke gave him one day – and, aggravated by the faux love confessions, Sasuke had felt no qualms about experimenting with wounding Naruto in visible places – it was gone the next morning. _Really_ gone, not just mostly recovered or hidden under bandages or the like. And there had always been something suspicious about Naruto's ungodly stamina; it was relieving, in a way, to think that the many _kage bunshin_ he could create were just the result of a bloodline and therefore no thanks to Naruto _himself_.

Of course, this inevitably brought up the question of just who the Uzumakis had been. It was a standard part of Academy lessons to go over the basics of all the bloodlines present in the village, as well as the more prominent ones in the rest of the ninja world. Sasuke had been a model student, but not one bloodline fit what Naruto seemed to have. Of course Naruto's bloodline could just be that of a lesser-known clan from outside the village, and Naruto himself an immigrant, but that solution came with its own problems. Clans rarely allowed members to leave their villages, especially those people who held their bloodlines. The most realistic solution Sasuke could come up with was that Naruto's father had been a married clan member in another village, and Naruto himself was the result of an affair. His mother must have left to Konoha to raise the baby under her own name, and then presumably died during the Kyuubi attack. This explained the way Naruto's last name didn't match any existing clans, and also why Naruto himself seemed unwilling to let others know about his bloodline abilities. But for some reason, and despite it being the only logical conclusion, Sasuke couldn't quite believe in his theory. It didn't seem to match up with Naruto's personality somehow, and if asked, Naruto was almost _too_ open about never having known his parents. And really, who would prefer to be an orphan than to have family, even if it did come with the knowledge that one was illegitimate? Naruto didn't seem like the type of person to care about that, unless he'd never been told his origins and so really didn't know.

But even _if_ Sasuke ignored all of that, he couldn't deny that he knew next to nothing of Naruto on a personal level. Case-in-point, he thought as he rapped his fingers irritably against the counter, he had to come hang around a _ramen stand_ for hours on end if he wanted to even get in touch with his teammate. Sasuke had no clue where Naruto lived, or what he did in his free time other than pranking the village and eating ramen. Really, despite months of close contact, Sasuke knew little more about Naruto than he had when their team was first assigned: Naruto was loud, fond of the ramen and color orange, wanted to become the Hokage, and was a slightly better fighter than his grades had indicated. Only the last fact was anything new.

Still, despite his lack of concrete evidence, Sasuke had let himself be fooled by Naruto's tricks. He'd thought they were more of Naruto's well-hidden serious side manifesting itself. He'd thought the word 'love' _meant_ something to Naruto, simply because he'd never heard the boy mention it before in his presence. He'd made rash assumptions, based on little more than the fact that he couldn't imagine _Naruto_ ever professing love to him as a joke; he'd thought something like that was sacred to Naruto. Thought Naruto wouldn't sink so low. Sasuke had – somehow, despite constantly looking down on him – greatly overestimated Naruto.

And now he was the one paying the price. Sasuke wouldn't be willing to say he had been ready to _agree_ to Naruto's professed love – for one thing, the guy never stuck around long enough for Sasuke to react, not since the time in the woods. And frankly, Sasuke had no interest in romance, not for a while at least. He'd gone to some effort to make that clear in the Academy. Even beyond that, it was impossible to imagine any sort of romance with _Naruto_. It wasn't the thought of the relationship being same-sex that was the problem; in ninja villages, acceptance about such things tended to be high. 'Since ninja were likely to die early anyway, why shouldn't they get to enjoy whatever sort of love they could find in the meantime?' was the general attitude, though certain clans were less approving, given the difficulty such relationships created for passing on bloodlines.

No, Naruto himself was the problem. Sasuke didn't think Naruto had a romantic bone in his body – the mere thought of doing something like holding hands or kissing with the other boy, it was… impossible!

But… still. Sasuke felt his face get hot even considering it, but the truth was he couldn't really picture himself involved romantically with _anyone_. It was also true, though – had become true – that he viewed Naruto as his closest friend: essentially the person who mattered most to him in Konoha, and who, if he had to consider romance at _all_, he had to admit he'd be more willing to try it with. Possibly. Maybe. If it hadn't been a _joke_ all along!

Sasuke realized he'd been grinding his teeth loudly when the latest arrival at the ramen stand stood up and moved to the other side of the booth. Glancing down, he noticed his fingers were beginning to dent the wood where he'd been rhythmically tapping them.

Sasuke took a deep breath, removed his hand from the counter, and forced himself to calm down. No point in scaring civilians, even if they'd probably understand his ire the moment he mentioned the cause – sometimes it seemed like every individual in Konoha had suffered a personally devastating prank, courtesy of Naruto, and thus would be more than willing to be an alibi for any murder Sasuke might commit today.

…Not that he was willing to go as far as murder. Quite.

Luckily, Sasuke's homicidal daydreams were interrupted before they had the chance to really get off the ground. Even more luckily (well, not for Naruto), they were interrupted by the very person who had starred so bloodily in them.

Naruto waltzed up the street, hands behind his head and big grin on his face. The toad-shaped coin purse he was so proud of hung from his belt, bulging and jingling in a way that dared pickpockets to just try. Every line of his body was loose and relaxed, his hair messy and eyes bright, the very picture of leisure.

He never made it to the ramen stall – didn't even stand a chance. The moment Naruto rounded the corner, Sasuke made his move: with a confused shout, Naruto found himself tackled to the ground, rolled into a wall, netted, and dragged away around the corner. By the time the dust cleared they were already three streets down.

The people on the street glanced at each other for several moments, but seeing as Naruto had been the one in the net, and this _was_ a Hidden Village, they knew better than to react any more than that. Teuchi at the ramen stand was a bit disappointed, as a full toad-purse on Naruto's belt usually meant his next month's rent – but the fingerprinted dents in his countertop were enough to dissuade him from arguing. It was best for business if angry ninja were far away from his shop, and Naruto would probably return for dinner, anyway.

-xxx-

Sasuke didn't stop until he'd reached an unused training area on the outskirts of the village. He'd intended the long run to cool his ire a bit, but one look at Naruto's annoyed-but-confused face and he had to punch the nearest tree to stop himself from _murdering _his teammate.

"You – _imbecile_," he hissed through gritted teeth, transported by a near-uncontrollable fury now that he was looking at the _face_ of his malefactor. "How dare you?"

Naruto just squirmed in his bonds, clearly failing to realize the gravity of the situation. So far as he knew, Sasuke had gone insane and kidnapped him away from his ramen and that was the end of it. Naruto should be the one outraged, not the other way around. "How dare _you_, you bastard! Today's the two-for-one special and it's ending in an hour! Let me go back there!"

"You little – _no._ No. You are going to stay here and explain to me _why the hell you did that_ and I'm going to _try_ not to kill you, and –"

Naruto paused. "Why I did what?"

Sasuke nearly snapped, hands jerking out towards Naruto's throat before he managed to restrain himself. His fingers were shaking. Actually all of him was shaking. He suddenly couldn't breathe. Naruto had done all this to him and didn't even _remember_, didn't even care, how _could he–_

Because it didn't matter. It was easy to forget, of course. Just a prank. Sasuke was the only one who noticed, who cared, who brooded on it for days and had honestly started to _feel something_ in reaction. Because _Sasuke _was the one who valued Naruto so much, trusted him as a friend even if he never said it, believed Naruto would never screw with such an important thing – whereas to Naruto, Sasuke was just a rival. That's what all of the arguments and sparring were about – Naruto really _meant_ his insults, it wasn't just 'how they were' like Sasuke had begun to think and maybe Naruto valued him as a teammate but nothing more than that at all and he'd been stupid to even think it – _Naruto didn't care_. Of course not.

Sasuke felt like laughing wildly all of a sudden. He didn't, but only because he hadn't done so in years and wasn't sure his muscles remembered how. Still, something must have seemed off about his expression, because Naruto was giving him a funny look.

"Oi… what's wrong with you?" he asked, and Sasuke loathed himself for hearing concern in that voice. There wasn't any, he didn't even _want_ any; he had to get out of here.

"Nothing," he spat. "I just figured you out, Naruto."

Filled with fury and self-disgust and some choking feeling he couldn't even name – he left.


	3. Revelation

Thank you everyone for the favorites and alerts. And especially, my thanks to the reviewers.

I will be going on a week-long trip to Japan in two days. Since I've got this chapter and one more written, I decided to just post one a day until I left, and then hopefully by the time I get back I will have written more. That's the plan, anyway.

Enjoy these next two chapters until then!

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><p>Of course, they had to meet at the bridge the next day. That was the best – the <em>worst<em> thing about being teammates. It meant they were shoved together constantly no matter what they did, and Sasuke didn't actually have to stretch himself outside of his comfort zone if he felt like spending some time with his one and only friend who wasn't actually his friend at all and was just an absolute _idiot_, a piece of _shit_ and not worth even thinking about in the first place.

…Also, he was late. _Kakashi_-level late, and he'd left Sasuke alone with Sakura for two hours and counting. This was hell. She kept nattering on about… shopping or something. On and on and on and on and (he was going to be driven insane) on and –

"Where is Naruto, anyway?" she asked, and Sasuke gave a violent twitch. Seeing as this was the first reaction she'd gotten out of him in the past forty minutes, Sakura pressed the point, laughing scornfully. "That idiot, he probably forgot we had to meet today. Honestly, Naruto's so _stupid_, isn't he?"

Sasuke closed his eyes as tight as he could. "No, he's not. He's… very clever."

Sakura blinked. "Huh?"

He didn't even know why he was bothering to talk to her; she'd never give up now. But Sasuke felt compelled to explain, to justify that he wasn't the only one Naruto could fool, it wasn't _his fault_ that he felt this… hurt. So he opened his eyes and asked Sakura, "How much do you really know about Naruto?"

She smiled tremulously, a hint of a blush on her cheeks. "N-not that much! I mean, I don't care about him, Sasuke. For me… there's only you…"

"Exactly," Sasuke snapped, ignoring the latter part of her reply. "No one knows anything about him. And he pretends to be this – this stupid cheerful, incompetent _idiot_, when actually all along he's…" just pretending. Not really your friend. Much smarter than you thought, much smarter, because he's really got you this time, hasn't he?

Sakura didn't care about any of that. It didn't affect her. She wouldn't understand – and why did Sasuke even want her to in the first place? Even if she tried to comfort Sasuke, he knew that he'd only shove her away. Anyway, Sakura was just a fangirl. It wasn't like she really knew him. He'd never let _her_ get close enough.

"…Nevermind," Sasuke muttered, turning away from Sakura once more. "Forget about Naruto."

Kakashi burst out of the woods then, dashing up to them at a speed that was truly frightening. Sasuke reeled back, torn between wondering what on earth had their sensei moving so urgently, and why Naruto _still_ hadn't arrived.

"What were you two kiddies just talking about?" Kakashi asked, a little _too_ nonchalant. "I thought I heard you say 'Naruto'?"

Sakura was too surprised by his sudden appearance to do the usual 'you're late!' shout, and readily answered. "You got it in one, sensei! We… Sasuke was just telling me about Naruto." She blushed, presumably at the thought of Sasuke telling _her_ anything.

Kakashi's eye narrowed, glaring ferociously at Sasuke. He seemed absolutely furious, despite his calm voice, and Sasuke found himself pressing back up against the rail of the bridge behind him, trying in vain to get away. "Oh really? What were you telling her, Sasuke~?"

"I – nothing!" Sasuke said, wondering just why Kakashi was so interested in his opinion of Naruto, anyway. And where was that idiot in the first place? "Just that he's not… It was nothing."

Sakura had no idea what was going on, but it was clear their teacher was angry at Sasuke, and so she leapt to her crush's defense. "Really, it was nothing! Sasuke was just saying that Naruto's not really stupid after all. I – I mean, he passed the genin exams so he can't have been _that_ much of an idiot, right? That must've been what he meant. Sasuke's so nice…"

A long, tense moment followed this statement, while Sakura swooned to herself and Sasuke sweated under the force of Kakashi's glare. Times like these, he really could understand that his sensei was one of the village's most elite ninja… he wasn't even releasing any killing intent, but Sasuke still felt like there was a sword at his throat.

Then all of a sudden, Kakashi relaxed, eye curving up into a grin. "Well, well, that's great isn't it? It's so good to appreciate your teammates. Naruto did work very hard to graduate. Actually, all of you have been working _so _hard, you get today off! Enjoy the holiday!"

"Oh!" Sakura squealed, too excited by the prospect of being left alone with Sasuke to bother yelling at Kakashi for making them report to the bridge and waste half the day before actually telling them they had it off. "Sasuke, since we're already here together, do you want to-"

"Actually, I have to speak with Sasuke," Kakashi interrupted. He didn't bother to wait for either of his students to react to this statement, stepping forward and gripping onto Sasuke's arm. A swirl of leaves lifted up around them – the world shifted –

And then Kakashi was pushing Sasuke down to sit on a bed. They were inside a small room, with little more furnishing than that bed, just a few shelves and a desk. But judging by the photos Sasuke could see on the windowsill next to the bed, this must be his sensei's apartment… It was tiny. But… why was he here?

Kakashi sighed, leaning up against the desk. "At least you had the sense not to tell Sakura. But, if you've really figured out the truth about Naruto, you should have come to me first. No matter what you think you understand, attacking your teammate is _not okay_. I think you might have begun to realize that, since you stopped at the last minute… But the fact that you even tried worries me."

Sasuke's eyes grew wider the longer Kakashi spoke. Was this… about him capturing Naruto yesterday? But that didn't make any sense – they'd had much worse fights before, physically speaking anyway, and Kakashi had always waved it off as sparring. And… was he really going to have to explain his behaviour? Sasuke couldn't do that! He could never admit that he'd – why he had been so angry.

…And what did Kakashi mean, 'come to me first'? What did it matter to _him_ how little Naruto really cared?

Utterly confused, Sasuke began, "No, you don't understand – I wasn't – he _tricked_ me –"

"I think _you_ are the one who doesn't understand." Kakashi leaned forward to look Sasuke straight in the eye, and spoke slowly and clearly so he could not be mistaken. "Naruto may contain the nine-tailed fox, but that's _all_. He is _not_ the Kyuubi, he just has it sealed inside him – and he is not evil, so you've got no right to go after him. Even if he were, as soon as you realized you should have reported to your superior, not… Sasuke?"

It felt like the world was crashing down around him, everything he'd thought he knew uprooting itself and making _so much sense_. "Oh, kami," Sasuke whispered. "Naruto's… the Kyuubi is sealed inside of him?"

Kakashi stopped dead. "You – you didn't know?"

"No," Sasuke muttered, still in a daze as his brain worked overtime to acclimatize itself to this new reality. "I mean, I noticed how he healed overnight and everything but I thought – I thought his dad was part of some clan in another village, and his mother gave him her name and took him here – I thought he was born from an affair and it was a bloodline, not…"

Kakashi seemed a bit dazed himself now. "That's… a very good cover story. I'll have to remember that. But – just to clarify – you really didn't know? I really _did_ just reveal an S-class secret to you when you had no previous knowledge of it whatsoever?"

"…Y-yeah," Sasuke muttered, staring up at Kakashi, who was now groaning and holding his head in his hands, muttering about execution. "But – why did you think I knew already? I didn't do anything that…"

He stopped, suddenly realizing how this situation had come about. Kakashi confirmed his thoughts only a moment later, growling, "Naruto… I'm going to kill that brat! He was all panicked, said you _knew_ and you'd attacked him for it – and then I thought you told Sakura, I thought there was such a leak in my team and everyone would know – and it was _me_. _I _told you. I'm in such deep shit…"

Sasuke couldn't care less about his sensei's screw-up. "Where's Naruto? I – I have to talk to him."

Kakashi lifted his head a bit, and eyed Sasuke cautiously. "You… do understand what I said earlier, right? Naruto's just a jailer. He isn't a demon."

Sasuke snorted. "How could that dumbass be a legendary demon? If he were so all-powerful, you'd think he'd be able to beat me in a spar once or twice. I get it, I won't attack him, I just – I need to talk to him. Where does he live?"

"…Hm." Kakashi squinted at Sasuke. "You don't know? How do you feel about a trade? I'll give you Naruto's address if you swear not to tell that I told you Naruto's secret. You figured it out on your own, got it? …I really would rather not be executed."

"Sure, whatever," Sasuke spat, standing up quickly. He felt jittery, rushed and urgent. He had to see Naruto _now_. "Where can I find him?"

Kakashi's eye curved in a smile, and he scribbled something on a piece of paper. "Here's his address. Just remember, Sasuke… Naruto is very sensitive about this. Be careful with what you say to him."

"_Whatever_," Sasuke snarled, snatching the paper and dashing out the door with all the speed his ninja training had instilled in him.

Kakashi watched him go, and smiled to himself. "Ah, friendship… Well, if that's all okay, then I guess I can go back to more important matters!" With a perverted giggle, he dove onto his bed and pulled a small orange book out of his pocket to read.

-xxx-

Sasuke had to ask for directions twice, but eventually he found the right building and headed up to Naruto's apartment. The area wasn't the best, yes, but it was just shabby rather than being truly broken-down; not too bad for an orphan living primarily off of Genin wages. Still, the peeling paint and weak-looking door wasn't what Sasuke was used to.

He knocked on his teammate's door; waited. There was a long pause. Sasuke knocked again.

"I'm coming!" Naruto shouted from the other side of the thin wood, and then, a few seconds later, the door slid aside to reveal –

Naruto. The same Naruto that Sasuke had been training with every day, albeit in a simple t-shirt and shorts rather than the jumpsuit he usually wore to training. He didn't look any different in essentials though, as Sasuke had half-expected him to; only the whisker-like scars on his face took on a new meaning now, and his entire face was steadily draining of color.

"S-Sasuke," he whispered in what seemed to be utter horror.

Sasuke's stomach twisted in simultaneous relief and also some impossible emotion similar to realization.

"Let me in," Sasuke demanded, and then when Naruto showed no sign of moving, he repeated: "Let me _in_."

Naruto stepped back blankly, and Sasuke brushed past him. Once the door was shut behind them, Sasuke took a deep breath. The air in Naruto's apartment smelled like stale ramen.

"The Kyuubi," Sasuke said quietly. "It's… been in you this whole time?"

Naruto looked close to tears for some reason. He nodded, then swallowed hard and whispered, "Don't hate me. It's not me, I didn't even know, it's not – I'm _not_ –"

"You never told me," Sasuke said, cutting through Naruto's jumble of words easily. "In – in Wave, was that how…?"

Naruto nodded frantically, hands balling into fists at his sides, and said, "But that's the only time – I can't do that on purpose, I don't want to, I – don't hate me." His face grew firm with a resolve that, on second glance, seemed incredibly fragile. "_Don't_."

The Kyuubi held the power to destroy most of Konoha with ease. Tearing down exemplary shinobi left and right without a thought, it was the most powerful of all nine legendary Bijuu. And yet, it was contained – in _Naruto_ of all people, this boy in front of Sasuke with such a brittle sort of bravery on his face, so prepared to break under Sasuke's disgust.

A smile spread across Sasuke's face, completely uncontrollable. "Well, obviously you can't do that on purpose," he drawled, watching with a sort of burgeoning joy as Naruto's bracing-for-the-worst-and-determined-to-withstand-it expression transformed into shock. "If you could, you'd have actually beat me once, Naruto."

Naruto was gaping now, astonished by Sasuke's smooth tone, and he went on, heart leaping: "I mean, if you really held the power that the Yondaime sacrificed his life to contain, then I'd expect you to at least be able to make a decent bunshin, but no~. That's a little too challenging for a dead-last like y-_oof!_"

Sasuke stumbled back two steps, his shoulders colliding with the door. Naruto had barreled into him – _a tackle?_ Sasuke thought, bewildered – and now his arms were wrapping around Sasuke's sides, his head pressing in to Sasuke's shoulder… What kind of a hold was this?

The answer came after a moment, with a small shudder and squeeze from Naruto: this was no attack. This was a _hug_.

…Oh.

Instantly, Sasuke's face flushed red. He stood awkwardly still, hands floating in midair, suddenly hyper-aware of the brush of Naruto's hair on his collarbone. And of _course_, of course _now_ he thought of those whispers, all those little 'I love you's, and he felt all too hot, and maybe a bit shaky.

Naruto was muttering incomprehensibly into his neck, hands clenching open and closed against his back, obviously experiencing such a profound form of relief that it bordered on euphoria; and yet here stood Sasuke, hands still hovering dumbly just over Naruto's shoulders. Red to his ears, barely breathing, and somehow not even thinking about the Kyuubi because Naruto's breath was warm and slightly wet against his neck and for some reason it was making him _shiver_.

The one-sided embrace ended after an interminably long time, yet somehow all too soon; Naruto pulled back, blushing, yet with a wild grin and bright eyes. "You're my best friend," he laughed abruptly, as though the hug hadn't been _bad enough_.

Sasuke swallowed hard. "Rival," he was quick to correct.

Naruto only laughed. "That too."

"You… you're such an _idiot_," Sasuke hissed, groping behind himself for the door handle. Finding it, he quickly escaped out into the hallway, still feeling as though he was burning all through.

Naruto didn't follow him; the last Sasuke saw of him that day was through the closing door, and Naruto had sprawled on his back on the floor to close his eyes and just _grin_, and Sasuke's insides leaped in what he was pretty sure was fear.


	4. Imagination

A bit late, because the end of this chapter hated me and wouldn't come out right. But a bit longer, too, to make up for that (total coincidence, though).

Also, for some reason, I've acquired a theme song for this fic. I can't write on it with any focus unless I'm listening to "I Won't Say I'm In Love" from _Hercules_. ...Make of that what you will.

That's it for now. See you in a week or so!

* * *

><p>Okay.<p>

So Sasuke hadn't received a hug in… what, eight years? That made it over half his life since he'd felt a human embrace not meant to harm. He didn't count that tackle/cling thing Ino always did as a hug, obviously – the psychological harm it caused if nothing else put it out of the running.

So it made sense that Sasuke would freak out a little bit and not know what to do, even more so because this was a hug with _Naruto_, who he didn't normally even admit to being friends with, let alone the sort of friends that hug. Naruto, who had been tricking and betraying him this whole time, except based on that grin, maybe not. Naruto, who held the Kyuubi and many secrets and was so incredibly overjoyed at being accepted that he forgot himself for a minute and that was all that the hug was.

So it made sense.

Even Sasuke's reaction made sense – he had just recently been convinced Naruto was probably in love with him. Of course his mind would jump to a romantic interpretation, even if he knew intellectually that the hug was nothing of the sort. It made sense for him to be unsure how to react, even, because Naruto _was_ his friend and he didn't want to reject him or anything. Of course, Sasuke wasn't ready to accept Naruto's feelings, either – but then, they weren't real, so that was pretty much a moot point.

Then, really, in the end it didn't matter that the hug had enabled him to do what he'd been struggling with for over a month and successfully imagine Naruto in a romantic sort of situation. It wouldn't take a personality switch, as Sasuke had previously assumed – no, ever since the hug he could picture it clearly, could see Naruto's eyes bright and blue and focused, hands warm against his shoulders to hold him still, lips approaching; and _quiet_ in a rare moment, just intense and kind of touching Sasuke's lips then, a little too soft and very serious, and then Naruto's eyes would be just as bright and he'd say, "I love you, Sasuke," in that same way he'd said it when his ankle was broken, soft and solemn and on fire.

But Naruto _didn't_ love him, so none of that mattered after all. The words were just one of his stupid, stupid pranks, maybe a dare from Kiba or something since it turned out Naruto really did value Sasuke's friendship after all, and they'd stop now. Much more important to think about was the issue of the Kyuubi, and what it might mean. Sasuke would have to re-evaluate his entire acquaintance with Naruto, think it over and puzzle out just what this knowledge changed or didn't – and doing that took complete precedence over suddenly all too vivid mental pictures of a blond idiot in love.

-xxx-

The next day began as always, right down to the first horrific fifteen minutes alone on the bridge with Sakura, until Naruto arrived with way more cheer than was warranted for a simple hello.

It was even worse, in fact, because Naruto had about double his usual cheer, and he even greeted Sasuke as well as Sakura, with a huge grin and little delighted laugh.

Sakura stared. Put on the spot, Sasuke looked away quickly and muttered, "Morning," in return.

The Kyuubi was fascinating. Its effects on Naruto's stamina and chakra were almost enviable, if it weren't for the dismal control he also must have received. The village's hate also was not such a pleasant prospect, though it was still no excuse to turn into a blindingly-orange-wearing prankster. There was a lot to think about in regards to Naruto, now, even if he was still basically the same person.

There was lots to think about, plenty more to think about than Naruto's grin aimed at Sasuke and how it brought suddenly to mind that other grin, aimed deliriously up at the ceiling as Sasuke fled in a panic with his heart thudding against his ribs.

He'd start thinking of something else any moment now.

Kakashi sauntered in a whole hour earlier than normal – still an hour and a half late, though – and met the usual "YOU'RE LATE!" with a careless, "Well, I had to wash my hair, didn't I?"

"It looks no different!" Sakura began, full of righteous indignation. "It's not even wet!"

"More important than that," Kakashi mused, turning to Naruto and pressing a gentle hand down on his head, "How was the day off?"

Naruto glanced at Sasuke, their eyes meeting for a single moment, then looked back up at his sensei. His voice seemed overflowing when he spoke, the kind of voice that made one want to laugh just to let out the excess joy. "Definitely the best!"

Kakashi chuckled, ruffling Naruto's hair as the boy closed his eyes and giggled along. His eye slid over to Sasuke, who glared back even though he could feel his face starting to turn red.

"Good," Kakashi said in this pleased, knowing sort of way, still meeting Sasuke's gaze, until finally it was too embarrassing and Sasuke looked away, clearing his throat.

"I didn't have a good time!" Sakura shrieked, making the rest of the team jump as they remembered her existence all of a sudden. "I had a terrible day because you made us wait all morning for you, and then when you finally told us we were free you stole Sasuke away before we could go on our date! It's all _your_ fault, Kakashi-sensei!"

"Ehehehe," Kakashi chuckled, removing his hand from Naruto's head to rub it sheepishly behind his own. "Well, I'll make it up to you today then, hm? I've got two great missions for us today!"

-xxx-

Sasuke was of the very firm opinion that Kakashi needed to reevaluate his definition of 'great'. The first mission might have been 'great' for their sensei, as he always took such pleasure in torturing his students, and chasing Tora yet again definitely counted. So while those first two hours had been particularly hellish, Sasuke could understand why Kakashi might have fun with them. But _this_ – even more so than chasing a _pet_ around the village, this assignment was a pathetic excuse for a D-Rank that had Sasuke remembering the Wave mission and all its near-death situations rather fondly.

It seemed that the young ladies patronizing a certain bathhouse were having problems with a serial peeper. All they knew about the guy was that he had long white hair and a very perverted giggle… and an uncanny knack for finding holes to spy through in a fence that had just been repaired two days prior. This led the owner to believe that the man was either a ninja or brought some sort of drill with him every time. So he'd decided to hire ninjas of his own to put on guard and either catch the perv, or scare him off somewhere else.

That was all very well and good, and sure, Sasuke could understand the owner's reasoning, especially since girls made up a large percentage of his clientele, but… this mission, like so many other D-Ranks, hardly counted as training. All they were doing was walking around in front of the fence to the women's baths. They couldn't even practice their stealth, because they were supposed to be a 'deterrent'. It was yet another one of those 'missions' Sasuke was starting to suspect were only being handed out so that the senseis could sit around and take paid mini-vacations and the villagers could get away with being lazy. People were actually hiring ninja to _do their laundry_ these days! How ridiculous could you get?

But when Sasuke exploded this opinion out there (Naruto and Sakura nodding vehemently in the background), Kakashi only did that I'm-so-wise sigh of his and started justifying it as teaching patience for guard duty and also teaching humbleness because that was a very important quality for a ninja (despite how no half-decent ninja was ever humble, Kakashi himself being a prime example) and so on. And _then_ Kakashi turned to Sakura and said they'd need someone 'on the inside' and bought her a ticket, in a way that implied he'd be winking if he had enough eyes visible that it didn't just look like blinking for a long time.

So of course she squealed with joy and was happy for the first time all day. Yeah, _Sakura_ had a great time. And, okay, Kakashi did too, since he was a jounin and could do whatever he wanted and that happened to be going into the men's bath right now. Thus making Sasuke and Naruto have to do all the work.

Again.

Alone.

…Which might have been the real reason Sasuke cared so much.

-xxx-

Naruto was still too cheerful, that was all. He was cheerful a lot of the time, but not usually at Sasuke, and not usually with that hug lingering in Sasuke's mind like a white-hot sort of headache.

But after thirty minutes of conversation attempts gone ignored, Naruto seemed to give up, and Sasuke slowly began to relax enough to actually kind of enjoy pacing around the women's bathhouse with Naruto. It was somewhat rare that he got to spend time with Naruto without Sakura around, and that had probably been Kakashi's aim all along. Their sensei was just that meddling, and after being made to chase Tora all through the woods and get all sweaty and dirty, Sakura wouldn't even care that her free time at the bathhouse came at the expense of time spent with Sasuke.

And, all the events of the past few days aside – and that 'I love you' thing that'd made Sasuke so wary and now just sort of made him flush thoroughly at the thought – Sasuke _liked_ spending time with Naruto. There was a reason Naruto was his best friend… even if Naruto didn't know Sasuke also thought of him that way. For some reason, even though Naruto was annoying and loud and stupid and all sorts of ridiculous, he was still just right to be Sasuke's friend because he knew the limits without being told and rarely pushed them, for all his bluster.

Although that didn't even scratch the surface of it, really… Sasuke just couldn't explain why he liked Naruto, enjoyed spending time with Naruto, valued Naruto so much; couldn't even say exactly when it had started.

But even so, he was wary of Naruto getting too close to him – he didn't want Naruto to _know_ what Sasuke thought of him, didn't want Naruto thinking they could just be friends and agree about things and chat together and get along. Naruto should think that Sasuke didn't care about him in any spoken fashion, just the brief hints of body language and trust built up through all their days of training together. That would just be less embarrassing and more comfortable overall.

So when Naruto had quieted and they were just walking together, pacing back and forth with no words at all involved, Sasuke's shoulders slowly loosened and his breathing became deeper almost without him noticing it. They were closest in moments like this, and as no pervert appeared and Sakura giggled with village women behind the tall fence, Naruto's face took on a contemplative mien and Sasuke found himself relaxing further and further, enough that if they'd been standing still his eyes would've dropped closed. He hadn't gotten too much sleep of late, what with thinking so much about Naruto's prank, and then Naruto's prisoner, and that probably helped.

They'd drawn closer and closer while walking; now, their shoulders almost bumped with every other step. Naruto finally spoke, but quietly this time and thoughtfully: "Hey, Sasuke…"

And, in a soft sort of way, Sasuke knew it was coming again. He could feel it in the quiet mood and lack-of-distance between them, could imagine the expression on Naruto's downturned face, just _knew_ another confession was coming, even though they were just a joke and Naruto had stopped now, surely. Except – maybe they _weren't_ a joke, maybe Naruto really meant them and just hid how he felt the rest of the time, hid it as easily as he hid the Kyuubi, because it seemed he was really good at keeping secrets after all. He could keep his feelings a secret, except when he just _needed_ to let Sasuke know, and now, emboldened by Sasuke's acceptance of the Kyuubi, maybe Naruto would go a step further than just words.

Maybe he was going to say, "I love you." And maybe he was going to lean in that last little bit and touch his shoulder to Sasuke's and his skin would probably be _blazing_ and he might even turn some and go for a k–

"Were you really going to go on a date with Sakura yesterday?"

Or maybe he wasn't going to do anything of the sort.

Sasuke's head dropped into his hands very suddenly, to hide the aborted blush on his face. "No, of course not," he muttered, and drew further away from Naruto, speeding up his steps.

Naruto followed, moving faster as well. "Then why are you embarrassed about it?"

"I'm _not_."

"But Kakashi said that you guys were talking yesterday. I was worried that maybe you were starting to like –"

"Idiot," Sasuke said, definitively. He increased the pace a bit, still unwilling to let Naruto see the expression on his face. What had he been _thinking_ just now?

"It's not a stupid idea! Sakura's really sweet and pretty, I thought you might have finally noticed that –"

"There's nothing of the sort to notice," Sasuke scoffed.

Naruto protested, and walked even faster, straining to catch up without running.

Sasuke reached the end of the area they were patrolling and spun sharply on one heel, throwing a cloud of dust up into Naruto's face as he caught up. While Naruto was still coughing, Sasuke moved off in the other direction at as fast a walk he could manage. He wouldn't give Naruto the satisfaction of making him run – but still, he didn't want Naruto to learn that he and Sakura had been talking about _him_, even though that would be the quickest way to get him to shut up about Sasuke maybe liking Sakura.

He just didn't want to have to hear Naruto swooning for the next fifteen minutes at the thought of Sakura talking about him. Which he _would _do because he liked Sakura. _Not_ Sasuke.

…Also, Sasuke didn't want to admit to ever saying pleasant things about Naruto. It might make Naruto happy. It might make Naruto _hug him_.

So instead he just speed-walked along the short 'patrol' following the fence-line, at a pace that wouldn't allow Naruto to catch up unless he ran. Naruto quickly picked up on the nonverbal challenge, and windmilled his arms as he walked as fast as possible. Sasuke was forced to strain forward too, and soon enough the two boys were lost in their odd competition, panting and leaning forward and swinging their arms crazily in a way entirely unsuited to patient, humble guard ninjas.

Predictably, Kakashi chose that moment to exit the bathhouse and come join them. A little less predictable, but still very typical of him, was his casual clotheslining of his students, sending them tumbling to the ground in an undignified pile. "Settle down, boys," he mumbled, intent on the book in his other hand. Then he raised his voice to a yell: "Sakura! Come on out, it's time to go!"

Sasuke took his own sweet time getting to his feet and skulking over to lean on the nearest wall. He spent the trip with his face tilted towards the ground to hide his expression, a multitude of furious thoughts running through his head. Mostly the fury was aimed at himself. He'd never been the type to have a vivid imagination, so why was it acting up _now_ of all times? And on such ridiculous premises, too! Sasuke had wanted the dare/joke/prank/_whatever_ to just sink into oblivion under the far huger revelation of Naruto's secret, and so far it had been doing so. It would probably continue doing so if only Sasuke were able to make himself _stop thinking about it_, so why couldn't he?

But Sasuke was still Sasuke, and therefore a good portion of his anger was directed at Naruto. It was all _his_ fault, really. He was the one who had started those 'confessions' in the first place, and then he was the one who hugged Sasuke, and – and kept _smiling_ and invading Sasuke's personal space… if Naruto could just cut this behavior out, Sasuke would probably be able to forget all about the 'confessions' and get on with his life.

…The only problem was that in order to get Naruto to stop behaving like this, Sasuke would have to tell him to do so, which would also mean explaining _why_ he wanted Naruto to stop – and there wasn't a chance in hell of that ever happening.

Somewhat depressed by his inability to make Naruto change his behavior, Sasuke sighed. Then he jumped in surprise, as Naruto whispered in his ear: "But seriously, Sakura's still free, right?"

Instantly yanking away in a flustered panic (when had he gotten so close? _When?_), Sasuke was trying to formulate a reply without looking like he'd _been_ in a flustered panic when Sakura rounded the fence to join them.

Naruto's attention snapped to her right away. His eyes went googly and he started to blush, clearly forgetting all about Sasuke's existence on the planet – which was annoying, since he'd just asked Sasuke a question. It wasn't as if Sakura looked especially amazing, either. Sure, she had that freshly bathed, refreshed look, and certainly she was a far nicer sight than she had been a few hours ago, but – oh.

Sasuke eyed the somewhat ill-fitting kimono she was wearing, then glanced back at Naruto, tracing the path of his gaze. Yeah. That was it. She did wear it well, he supposed, looking all sorts of delicate and gentle and feminine and useless. Some people liked that, probably.

Sakura's demure deportment didn't last long, as upon coming into close range she immediately pointed at Kakashi's head and said in an affronted sort of way, "Why isn't it wet this time either? That's just _weird_, Kakashi-sensei!"

The man in question only scratched his – true, _oddly_ dry – head and mumbled something indistinguishable into his book.

Sakura did catch herself then, and whirled around to come up to Sasuke's side and murmur blushingly about how her original clothes were just too dirty and the owner's wife had been kind enough to loan her this old thing… but the effect was irredeemably lost. In Sasuke's eyes, at least; when she asked how it looked on her, Naruto eagerly piped up with extreme approval.

Sasuke didn't think it was possible to look gentle and feminine and seductive in a kimono, and attempt to beat your teammate to death at the same time, but Sakura seemed determined to try. She still had nothing on Naruto, though.

Not that Naruto was gentle or feminine or _seductive_ in the least, ugh. But he at least had the violence part down better, when he tried. Which he never did against Sakura, even more evidence that _she_ was the one he liked, and Sasuke was just a friend and rival. There wasn't any contradiction in trying to beat up a friend and rival, not like there would be in trying to beat up his crush.

Actually, thinking of violence, there was this taijutsu move Sasuke had found on a scroll at his house. He'd been wanting to try it, but he'd need a partner and he didn't really have anyone he felt comfortable asking. But Naruto _was_ supposed to be his best friend, right? He'd probably agree.

It wasn't like he'd have anything better to do. Sakura would certainly never waste her time with him, no matter how much Naruto might want her to (after being so blatantly ignored for her, Sasuke took a vicious pleasure in that). And Naruto kind of owed Sasuke a favor anyway, for messing with his mind so much today. Even if he didn't know he was doing it. And the Kyuubi would heal any damage he took from a botched attack anyway, so Sasuke could go all out and really try to _hurt_ the irritating idiot (who had yet to stop complimenting Sakura, as if insisting, "No really! I mean it!" would deter her from the warpath).

Mind made up, Sasuke smiled slightly. He was looking forward to this.


	5. Affirmation

I apologize for the delay. The trip rocked, so hard that I didn't have any free time to spend writing fanfic. What did not rock, was returning to work. It leeched all inclination to write out of me like a... leech. Yeah.

I also apologize for not responding to any reviews lately. For some reason, my review reply feature doesn't want to work. I have no clue why, but thank you all for the many lovely reviews I received for chapter four.

Lastly, I apologize for Sasuke. He is an idiot. As you will see.

* * *

><p>One might expect that close-quarters grappling might not be the <em>best<em> solution to being unable to stop having romantic daydreams (/hallucinations/imaginary scenes that were just appalling, really) about someone. And in fact, Sasuke himself thought of this little loophole in his plan fairly early on. It was kind of hard not to realize. If nearly bumping shoulders with Naruto had such a strong impact yesterday, then what on earth might sparring cause Sasuke to imagine? The prospects were frightening.

However, typically, this little issue failed to occur to Sasuke until the moment _after_ he'd finished asking Naruto to come train with him. Well, rather than asking, he actually just brought the scroll over to Naruto's apartment after team training was over, shoved it at Naruto, and said, "Attack me like that so I can practice this move."

Still, Naruto agreed, so who cared how he'd phrased things? A far more important consideration right now was Sasuke's gigantic tactical blunder. There wasn't exactly any way to rectify it, either – Naruto had already unrolled the scroll and was exclaiming about how awesome it would be if he actually managed to knock out Sasuke's teeth this way. At this point, Sasuke would get the practice whether he wanted it or not, with Naruto eager to test out the attack diagrammed on the scroll. So Sasuke might as well go through with his original plan, and grit his teeth and bear it if his brain came up with anything stupid again.

The first day, Sasuke was thus grim and on his guard; and as a result Naruto didn't even get close enough to properly execute his move, let alone let Sasuke practice the counterattack. In effect, the several hours they'd spent together had just been wasted, and both left the training grounds they'd chosen to practice in, in a bit of a bad mood.

To Sasuke, training and getting stronger was paramount. The complete failure to learn his new move the previous day had left him irritated and determined to get over himself in order to actually make some progress training. The experience might end up being awful – but it wasn't going to be made any better if Sasuke continued to be so overcautious, so he might as well just face the music.

Accordingly, the next day, Sasuke let Naruto get close.

Very close.

Naruto was practically on top of him, approaching from the side, almost in Sasuke's blind spot, with a nasty grin on his face and his fist cocked back in a punch, and he was too far back, this wouldn't work as planned, Sasuke wouldn't be able to reach him but he had to if he didn't want a faceful of fist, so he bent back and stretched out, just barely caught hold of Naruto's extended arm and _pulled_, twisted and threw, not that it was working, but – there it went, and there went Naruto, halfway across the field.

And there was Sasuke, victorious and thinking of absolutely nothing but the fact that he hadn't followed through well enough; this was a move meant to pin the opponent down, not to send them flying. While this variant was certainly useful, it would give a real enemy time to regroup, whereas if Sasuke were able to pull the move off properly, he'd be able to put a kunai to their throat and possibly take them prisoner. Or dispose of them, if need be.

So while Naruto was cursing and spitting out a mouthful of dirt a few feet away, Sasuke merely frowned darkly at his hands and thought about what he'd done wrong, and how best to fix it. He tried, after that, but for some reason he couldn't seem to remedy the problem, and every other attack ended with Naruto wailing his way through the air, never once landing a hit on Sasuke – but never allowing Sasuke to get him pinned, either.

Though it wasn't quite as frustrating as the first day, the second training attempt didn't go much better. But at least, Sasuke realized later that night, he hadn't had a single weird thought this time. His focus while training (_real_ training, not 'practicing for guard duty') had not lessened, as he'd feared it might. Perhaps, if Sasuke just kept this momentum, he'd be back to normal in no time, and he'd be able to actually forget all about the whole 'love' thing.

Despite the failed practice, Sasuke spent the evening with a slight upward curve to his lips, almost a smile.

-xxx-

And then, the next day, Naruto took off his shirt.

_Shut up,_ Sasuke told his brain. _Shut up, shut up, shut up._

There wasn't any special meaning to this. It was summer. This was Fire Country. It was hot. People took off their shirts when training all the time, unless they were from one of the several clans that all seemed to burn horribly rather than tan (the Hyuuga, Aburame, Uchiha, and a few Nara), or if they were shy. Or, you know, female. But male ninja took off their shirts in hot weather all the time for taijutsu training. It made sense and it wasn't weird and Sasuke should stop getting all paranoid.

But.

Naruto not only took off his shirt, but he also _smiled_ at Sasuke.

…While saying, "-and then, I'm going to stomp on your face and _laugh_," –but still. This was suspicious behaviour. It wasn't like Sasuke was getting all worked up over nothing. It totally wasn't.

That said, perhaps he was being a tad more vicious than necessary, but if he wasn't, who knew what might happen? Sasuke shuddered at the thought, and threw a few more kunai than he normally would in a spar.

Naruto screamed, a horribly unprofessional reaction to having forty kunai flung right at you, and quickly performed Kawarimi to get out of the way in time. About twenty-seven kunai thunked deep into the log left behind in place of Naruto's torso, with the other thirteen narrowly missing and landing in the dirt nearby.

"What _the hell_, asshole?" Naruto screamed from his sideways stance on a tree several feet away. "What crawled up your butt today to make you try and _kill_ me?"

Sasuke snorted quietly, and spun to launch yet another attack – only to pause midway through reaching for his stash of shuriken.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing at Naruto's stomach.

Naruto stopped yelling for a moment to look down at his naked torso. When he saw the intricate, spiraling design it sported, he yelped and forgot to continue sending chakra to his feet, ending in his falling out of the tree. He hit the ground hard, rolling over and over to come to a rough stop at Sasuke's feet, curled up in a ball.

Sasuke eyed Naruto for a moment, then jabbed forward sharply with one foot. Naruto groaned and flattened out, before sitting up to look at his stomach oddly. Sasuke also blinked down at the tanned, sweaty skin.

There wasn't a single blemish. Not even a faded scar or birthmark, let alone a gigantic tattoo surrounding his bellybutton. Huh.

"Do it again," Sasuke said, kicking Naruto once more. "The tree-walking."

Naruto got his meaning immediately and was too interested himself to bother protesting at the harsh treatment. He jumped to his feet, dashed back to the tree, and walked four feet up it, staring intently at his stomach. "It's back!"

Sasuke walked over as well, staring down at Naruto's abdomen. Where before there had been only pale pink skin, now there was a thick black spiral that went twice around Naruto's bellybutton. Above and below that were intricately twisting designs, also looking like they'd been drawn on in black ink.

"This is so cool!" Naruto screeched into Sasuke's ear. "I didn't know tree-walking gave people tattoos!"

Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "That's because it _doesn't_, idiot. This isn't a tattoo, or it wouldn't fade away after you stopped using this technique. And besides, there aren't any jutsu that give people tattoos. That's just stupid."

Naruto huffed in annoyance, poking at the markings with a finger. "Well, what is it, then? Do you have one?"

Sasuke, once again, resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "_No_. And how should I know? I've never seen one of these before." He peered a little closer, hardly noticing the way his face was almost touching Naruto's stomach, his breath puffing against bare skin.

"Maybe," Sasuke hypothesized, "it's got something to do with the Kyuu- what are you doing?"

Naruto's face was screwed up, his whole body trembling. "S-stop it, Sasuke," he giggled, "that tickles!"

Sasuke sighed – causing Naruto to giggle even more – and lifted his head. He had intended to deliver a particularly scathing retort, but the sight of Naruto giggling madly, hands wrapped protectively around his middle, sort of took the wind out of Sasuke's sails. He was overcome with a sudden wave of fondness, and dropped to sit at the base of the tree, burying his head in his knees.

Naruto kept on laughing, standing sideways on the tree, half-naked and mysterious, without a care, and Sasuke took a few deep breaths. Ugh. This was stupid.

It was a warm day. That was why Naruto was shirtless. That was why Sasuke's face felt hot. Neither event had anything to do with Naruto being in love with Sasuke, because Naruto was not in love with Sasuke. Also, Sasuke did not care.

Also, Sasuke was an idiot.

His lips shaped silent curses into the fabric of his shorts, his eyes tight shut, his cheeks very hot, and his neck tingling with an acute awareness of Naruto right above. Sasuke decided that this would be his final indulgence, his last moment to feel panic or some odd sort of almost flattered, almost pleased kind of sensation at the thought of Naruto being in love with him, and then he'd completely forget about it.

Two more deep breaths: okay. Sasuke straightened up, resting his head against the bark behind him. Naruto's giggles were already petering out, and Sasuke took that moment to finally get over his nonsensical preoccupation with imagined emotions. There. Done.

He said, "Like I was _saying_, maybe it's got something to do with the Kyuubi. It might be a seal of some sort. We should copy it down and see if we can look it up at the library."

Naruto fell silent above him. Sasuke started to relax into his thoughts, the heat on his cheeks fading fully. "Actually, maybe we should just ask Iruka. That'll be faster than trying to search through the whole library for books on sealing ourselves, and he won't ask as many questions as Kakashi if we say we just saw this somewhere and it made us interested in learning about fuinjutsu. You know where he lives, right?"

He was fully contemplative now, planning out the way he'd present his interest to his old sensei – Iruka was well-acquainted with Sasuke's desire to master every tool of the ninja trade, so it shouldn't be hard. Even though, after having graduated, Sasuke had become a lot less determined to master _everything_, in favor of mostly speedy taijutsu and powerful, well-ranged ninjutsu. He didn't really like genjutsu all that much (which had nothing to do with Itachi's use of it, _nothing_), and didn't feel any particular need to learn sealing either. But Iruka wouldn't know that.

Naruto dropped down next to Sasuke, a peculiar expression on his face. Sasuke frowned at him. "I don't think we should go together. If you tell me where I can find him, I can go ask on my own tomorrow and bring the results back to you. That'll be less suspicious."

He waited for Naruto to agree to his plan, or loudly insist that he come along too. Naruto just continued to stare oddly at Sasuke. A minute passed.

"Naruto?"

"I love you."

Sasuke blinked.

Then his eyes went wide, his heart started to pound, and he backed up against the tree trunk in a panic. "Wh– No you don't!"

Naruto shook his head, still with that weird, solemn expression. Like he really meant what he was saying. "No, I do. I – actually, I love you a lot more now." He blushed. Sasuke gaped in horror. "I didn't know that anyone could just – just _accept_ me like this. I would never have told you on my own."

"You do not love me," Sasuke insisted, voice a little shaky. "That's stupid."

Naruto smiled at him.

Sasuke gulped. "_You're _stupid."

Naruto laughed.

"Thanks, Sasuke," he said, and then he leaned forward and _in_, getting horribly, dangerously close. His face was advancing. Sasuke was maybe hyperventilating now, because Naruto was leaning in, and in, and all the way until – contact.

Their cheeks were touching. Just a little.

"I love you," Naruto said, directly into Sasuke's ear. And Sasuke _shook_. A full-on shudder passed through him, his blood ran cold then boiling, his vision faded for a moment as his eyes fluttered shut under the sheer power of those words. They were true. Sasuke could hear the sincerity in Naruto's scratchy voice, could feel it in the skin almost electrifying his own, couldn't _breathe_ under the weight of it.

"Oh," he whispered.

Naruto pulled back quickly, seemingly embarrassed. "Yeah, so." He picked up his shirt and yanked it over his head. "Don't, like, freak out on me. I – I just. Do. So. That's all."

"_Idiot_," Sasuke managed, with some sensation similar to both rapture and horror building behind his sternum.

"Asshole," Naruto promptly responded. "If you want to find Iruka, just go to the Academy after class ends. And you call me stupid."

Then Naruto – who still hadn't even so much as glanced in Sasuke's direction since saying _those words_ – left. At a run. Such a fast one, in fact, that Sasuke probably wouldn't have been able to catch him, if he'd tried.

Sasuke was not trying. Sasuke was not even slightly inclined to try. Sasuke wasn't sure he ever wanted to see Naruto ever again. Sasuke was still kind of boneless at the moment, anyway, and that would've made pursuit difficult.

It seemed… he had been wrong. No matter what his logic had convinced him of, Sasuke's intuition had the right of things all along, and Naruto really was in love with him.

Shit.

Now Sasuke was going to have to find a way to turn his best friend down.

Well, obviously he'd have to. It wasn't like he could _date_ the guy, or anything. The thought alone was mortifying, and made him blush all over again. Although, the thought of turning Naruto down was just as bad. Probably that was just because Sasuke was having trouble thinking straight.

But – still.

Naruto was in love with him.

...Naruto was _in love_ with him.

Sasuke didn't move until the sun began to set.


	6. Conversation

This chapter has a noticeable lack of Naruto in it. Certain people just didn't want to shut up and let me move on to other scenes. Certain people also initiated conversational topics that caused my spellcheck to have a spastic freakout and spew red all over my document. Something which I'm sure interests you all greatly.

I'm glad you guys agree Sasuke is stupid. In this chapter, I introduce a new character who also concurs with this sentiment. Not only that, but this chapter holds a personal record for uses of the word "kid", and its various derogative synonyms. A fun time all around.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six: Conversation<strong>

Sasuke was on a mission. True, it wasn't exactly an official mission, but he'd decided to think of this as just another D-rank and get through it that way. Sasuke was capable of enduring a lot for the sake of successfully completing a mission.

Ugh, but _this_.

"-most awesomely awesome greatest ninja _ever!_ So don't you dare insult the Boss! He's gonna be Hokage, and then he'll kick your ass for talking like that!"

Sasuke stared down at the weird little kid sporting an oversized scarf, and… goggles. Like Naruto used to wear. Adding this up with the random insults just spewed into his face, this had to be… Naruto's biggest fan, apparently. Although it was pretty easy to be someone's biggest fan if there wasn't any competition.

Yeah, this was _just_ what Sasuke needed right now.

"Shut up, kid," he said dismissively. "I don't care. I just asked where to find Iruka."

The little brat crossed his arms over his chest, with a heavy glare. "And _I_ said, what do you want with him? Probably you just want to cause trouble! I know who you are – you're the Boss's Eternal Riv-"

"I'm not your Boss's _anything_," Sasuke hissed viciously, face a little flushed. "Now would you just _shut your mouth_ and point to the right door?"

The annoying little creature didn't seem intimidated at all. Unfortunately, Sasuke did actually need his help. Kakashi had kept him a little later than usual today, while explaining a trick with ninja wire. Sakura and Naruto didn't really use wire, so they left early… albeit with much protesting on Sakura's part. It wasn't like Sasuke hadn't been extremely grateful that things had worked out that way – combined with their busy day of missions that left no time for idle chat, the extra lesson had allowed him to completely avoid Naruto, at least for now – but that meant that by the time Sasuke had arrived at the Academy, almost everyone had gone home. Iruka always stayed late to grade papers and such, Sasuke knew that, but what he didn't know was where Iruka would be doing that nowadays. Academy teachers typically taught the same group of children from entry to graduation. Since Iruka's last class had all either graduated or gone into remedial lessons with another sensei, Iruka had probably been reassigned to a new class of six- or seven-year-olds. This meant his new classroom could be anywhere, and Sasuke wasn't going to run around the whole Academy looking for it.

But the only person he'd come across so far was this little Naruto-obsessed brat, who – despite obviously knowing Iruka – seemed determined not to reveal the man's location. And today, Sasuke was in such a foul mood that he was rapidly losing his patience, no matter how much he tried to think of this as a D-rank.

"Listen, you little-" Sasuke growled in a low, angry voice, but he was interrupted before he could continue by a door down the hall opening.

Iruka stuck his head out, already yelling. "Konohamaru, your bathroom break is taking a little too _long_ – oh. Sasuke. What are you doing here?"

Sasuke took a deep breath, striding over to his previous sensei. "Looking for you. I found this–" he held out a drawing of the markings on Naruto's stomach; done by memory alone, but Sasuke had faith that it was reasonably accurate, "–in a scroll, and I wanted to know what it did. I – I've been taking an interest in fuinjutsu lately."

Iruka reached out and took the paper Sasuke offered, already looking down at it contemplatively. "Come on into the classroom, Sasuke," he said, then: "Konohamaru! Get back here and start clapping those erasers again!"

Konohamaru slouched over. "Iruka-sensei, this guy was bullying me-" he started to whine, but Iruka had no patience for that.

"I'm sure you deserved it, now get in here." Iruka shut the door behind his disgruntled student, then turned to his ex-student. "Sasuke… I don't mind helping you out, but shouldn't you go to Hatake-san with things like this? He's your sensei now, not me."

The trick with Iruka was not to tell any lies. He was a chuunin, and he'd taught for years – he was adept at spotting any outright falsehoods. With students like Naruto, he needed that skill. But so long as Sasuke didn't say anything _untrue_, well…

Sasuke frowned. "He wants us to get a firm foundation in the basics before teaching us anything too advanced." Not a lie at all; Kakashi had helped his students greatly with their taijutsu and chakra control, but besides tree-climbing he hadn't really taught them anything new, instead focusing on basic skills and teamwork exercises. Sasuke was getting rather impatient for a jutsu, but that was a matter for another time – he still had Iruka to misdirect. "I understand that, but I was just curious about what this seal might do, that's all. I don't intend to start using it left and right, or any seals for that matter until I'm fully prepared, but Kakashi doesn't seem to get that." …He didn't 'get that' because Sasuke hadn't told him about it, but that wasn't exactly something Sasuke needed to mention.

Iruka hummed thoughtfully, a small smile on his face. "Yes, I can see that. Still, it's not really my place to go against what your jounin sensei wishes – although… Since it's you, Sasuke, I can believe that you wouldn't be reckless with the knowledge. Unlike Naruto!" Iruka laughed at the thought.

Konohamaru didn't say anything, but he did glare over in their direction from his location clapping blackboard erasers out the window. Sasuke had a foul expression on his face at the mention of Naruto, too, although not because he resented the negative connotation. More like he resented mention of the name entirely, but he fought his grimace down, and continued to watch Iruka, as the man looked back at the paper in his hands a little more carefully.

"Unfortunately, Sasuke," Iruka sighed after a few minutes, "I couldn't tell you what this seal does even if I might be willing to. Fuinjutsu was never my specialty, and this is a pretty complex seal. Actually, fuinjutsu isn't really common anymore, outside of exploding or storage tags… Even the Hokage doesn't practice fuinjutsu – though I'm sure he does know some. But in fact, I know of only two Konoha nin who really have much knowledge of the discipline."

Sasuke's gaze sharpened, something Iruka noticed, and responded to as though it had been a question. "Your jounin sensei is one of them, though I suppose you already knew that. He learned fuinjutsu from _his_ sensei, even if he doesn't use it much. But the only other fuinjutsu practitioner I know of is the great sage, Jiraiya."

Sasuke blinked in surprise. "The Sannin?"

Iruka beamed. "It's good to know you haven't forgotten my lessons since you graduated! Yes, Jiraiya of the Sannin. He is the ultimate master of fuinjutsu, and might be willing to explain this seal to you. He's rarely in the village, though, so I wouldn't get my hopes up. If you do ever see him, though, you'll recognize him by his long white hair, and… distinctive personality. I'm sorry, Sasuke, that's as much as I can tell you."

The lack of information was irritating, but then again, Sasuke probably shouldn't have expected to find the truth so easily even if fuinjutsu _were_ a widely practiced art. Any seal to do with the Kyuubi had to be complex.

Sasuke thanked Iruka and left, taking a bit of sadistic pleasure in the sound of Konohamaru getting yelled at again for slacking off during detention – the twerp deserved it. But that didn't last long, and soon Sasuke was wandering through the streets of Konoha, lost in thought.

It seemed Kakashi was the only person Sasuke could go to for information on the seal. But Sasuke was reluctant to do that, given Kakashi's initial suspicions of how he would treat Naruto after learning about the Kyuubi. Everything might seem fine now, but that didn't mean Kakashi wasn't still likely to get suspicious if Sasuke suddenly starting asking lots of questions about Kyuubi-related matters. In the end, going to his sensei was likely to be more trouble than help.

However, Sasuke wasn't willing to just let this matter lie. The seal on Naruto's stomach was troubling. Kakashi had said Naruto was 'just a jailer', but what exactly did that mean? How on earth could something as demonic as the Kyuubi be sealed into Naruto without any side effects? The seal had only appeared when Naruto was doing the tree-climbing exercise – what did that mean? Was it doing something to him in those moments? Hurting him in some hidden way? Freeing the Kyuubi bit by bit?

There were just far too many questions for Sasuke's liking. He was… well, he wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was _worried_. He couldn't just accept not knowing what the seal did, and let things be. It wasn't his personality, especially when the issue directly involved the wellbeing of his best friend.

Also, the seal was providing a fine distraction from the knowledge, pounding in Sasuke's brain, that Naruto was in love with him – but he didn't want to even go remotely _near_ there.

Sasuke sighed, slowing his pace. He'd been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed where he was going, and now he was right around the area of the bathhouse Team Seven had 'guarded' a few days ago. Sasuke decided that he'd turn back after reaching it – dusk was coming on now, and he didn't want to stay out too late, though he wasn't feeling particularly tired.

The scenery in this area was nice, at least… and Sasuke was enjoying it, at least until he turned a corner and happened upon someone else who was enjoying a different type of scenery altogether. The old pervert from that mission was back, it seemed, face pressed to a small hole in the wooden fence around the ladies' bath, giggling obscenely. At least, he fit the description of the pervert Team Seven had been watching for, what with that long white hair, and the hitai-ite he wore, proclaiming him to be a ninja.

Long white hair. A ninja. That… distinctive personality.

No way.

…_No way_.

But somehow Sasuke couldn't shake the suspicion, until finally, he found himself asking incredulously, "Are you _actually_ Jiraiya of the Sannin?"

The old pervert (couldn't be, couldn't be, this was just _too_ ridiculous) jumped and spun around, geta clattering noisily on the ground. "SHH!"

Looking at him head on… yeah, he was definitely a ninja, judging by the mesh armor and handguards he wore. Not only that, but he was carrying a very large scroll on his back. In fact, the more Sasuke looked at him, the more he got the sinking feeling that, yes, his intuition had been correct once again, and this really _was…_

"Jiraiya?" he repeated.

"Yes, yes, that's me," the member of the legendary Sannin hissed impatiently, turning back to the small hole he must have drilled through the fence. "I'll give you an autograph later kid, so shut up, okay? You're interrupting important research, here."

"…Research," Sasuke repeated, deadpan. He couldn't believe this. Why. _Why._

"Yes, _important research_ for my next novel, which –" Jiraiya shot Sasuke a sudden glance, "–uh, which you can't actually read for a few more years, so nevermind. Go away."

Putting two and two together into oh good god, and he'd thought Kakashi was the _exception_, Sasuke crossed his arms and stood his ground. "Your pornos can wait," he said harshly, "I've got a question for you."

Jiraiya shot him another glance, more exasperated this time, before his gaze locked back on the women he was peeping on. Very attractive women, judging by his low whistle and lewd grin. "Are you joking, kid? This can't _wait_ – this is a once-in-a-lifetime – oh, _yeah_."

Sasuke fumed for a moment, to the accompaniment of splashing and giggles, and Jiraiya whispering, "Yeah, you're such _good friends_, aren't you, ladies? Playing in the water – just like that_…_"

He had just wanted strong ninja to be respectable. That was all. It wasn't an unreasonable demand. And there _were_ ninja who were serious, dedicated, and strong, all at the same time. There had to be. Just… never around Sasuke. But they had to at least _exist_. Somewhere.

Right?

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke finally lost all patience. He took a deep breath, opened his mouth, and practically yelled, "EXCUSE ME SIR, ARE YOU PEEPING?"

The giggling and splashing abruptly cut off. So did Jiraiya's grin, and, mere seconds later, the scenery altogether.

It was much like when Kakashi had kidnapped him away to talk about Naruto's secret, except the world didn't stop blurring after the technique ended. This was because Jiraiya had Sasuke by the collar, and was shaking him back and forth quite violently.

"You – little – _brat_," he snarled, abruptly far more believable as a legendary shinobi. "They were finally relaxing!"

Sasuke could not emphasize how much he _did not care_. Instead, he changed the subject, voice stumbling over his words as a result of still being shaken. "I w-want you t-to explain a s-seal to m-me."

Jiraiya finally stopped shaking Sasuke, only to drop him unceremoniously on the ground. They had been transported to a quiet little alley, not exactly the most private place for discussing this sort of thing, but not the worst either. Sasuke wasn't sure at first glance where in Konoha they were, but at least here there was enough light from streetlamps to make his drawing of Naruto's seal visible.

Jiraiya was mid-sentence, when Sasuke shoved the drawing forward at him, and he abruptly changed tacks. "If you want me to do you a favor, brat, that wasn't exactly the best way to – where did you see this?"

Ah. That was definite recognition. Good. "What does this seal do?" Sasuke asked.

"Where did you see it?" Jiraiya countered, eyeing him with interest for the first time since they'd met.

Sasuke just stared up at the sage, gaze expectant.

Jiraiya glared back down at him for a few moments, before his eyes widened slightly. "…Hm. The last Uchiha, eh? Your clan was never interested in fuinjutsu. It's not something that you can just _steal away_ from anyone."

Sasuke almost snapped back in defense of his clan's technique, before realizing that Jiraiya was just trying to deflect him. With an extremely asshole kind of tactic. "Well," he gritted out, "I _am_ interested. In this seal." He hesitated a moment, but then, since it seemed Jiraiya probably already knew, went ahead and asked: "What does it mean when it suddenly appears on… someone's skin?"

Jiraiya's gaze sharpened. "It did? When?"

"When N-_someone_ was doing the tree-climbing exercise. Twice. But it faded away when he stopped."

Jiraiya nodded thoughtfully. "Hm… I see. Ha! That's genius. Really, just what I should've expected from him… Pure genius."

Sasuke took a quick breath, heart pounding all of a sudden. "So – that's good? It's not… doing anything bad. To him."

"What's it to you if it is?" Jiraiya asked. "What do you care if that seal is hurting –someone?"

"It matters," Sasuke asserted. His heart was thumping hard now in anticipation – or maybe fear. Probably fear. What if it really _was_ something bad – any worries about Naruto's feelings for him disappeared completely in the face of the Kyuubi _doing something_ to Naruto. What if it was something really terrible? Sasuke didn't think he could handle that. It probably wasn't – but, so long as he didn't receive any confirmation that this was nothing to worry about, he would never be able to relax.

"It matters because Naruto's my best friend," Sasuke blurted abruptly. "And – and if _that thing_ is doing something to him – I need to know."

There was a long silence. Sasuke instantly regretted what he had said. Even if it had been fairly obvious by now who they were both talking about, he shouldn't have used Naruto's name. And he definitely should not have admitted to knowing about the Kyuubi. And he really did not need to go around calling Naruto his best friend. That whole statement had just been extremely stupid.

Luckily, Jiraiya didn't seem to think so. He was actually smiling. "Are you… worried about him, Uchiha?"

"No," Sasuke snapped, an obvious lie. "I just need to know if it's going to affect his performance on our team."

"Naruto… needs a friend to watch out for him," Jiraiya said, completely ignoring Sasuke's bluffing. He'd closed his eyes, and his voice was tight was something resembling – affection, actually, and that was really weird. What reason did a Sannin have to feel affection for Naruto? "I'm glad he has someone who cares. I can't exactly be there for him."

In that last moment, Jiraiya sounded so sad… it didn't make sense at all, and was actually kind of unnerving Sasuke. This whole conversation had become far too emotional for his tastes (that was happening a lot these days _but he wasn't going there_), so he abruptly tried to get it back on track.

"Listen, is the seal harming Naruto or not?" Sasuke asked brusquely. Jiraiya's eyes popped open, and he looked down at Sasuke shrewdly for a few seconds before coming to some sort of decision.

"No. Don't worry about it. That seal is – actually, what that seal does is keep Naruto safe from being eaten alive by his prisoner's chakra. It… filters it out, whenever he's using his own chakra. Maybe once your eyes develop some more, you'll be able to see what I mean by that." Jiraiya paused for a moment, then laughed harshly. "You probably will. You're one of those prodigies, aren't you? My least favorite kind of ninja. But, eh, I guess if you're best friends with Naruto you aren't exactly hopeless yet."

A heavy hand dropped onto Sasuke's head and ruffled his hair. He shoved it off, sputtering indignantly; horribly insulted for a wide variety of reasons – but when he glared up at the space where Jiraiya had been, the sage was long gone.

Sasuke grumbled under his breath about that for a few moments, before finally succumbing to the relief rushing through his veins. He fell back against the alley wall with a sigh, closing his eyes. So Naruto really was fine.

…Ah, that was good to know.

Sasuke didn't exactly show it (rather, he went out of his way to do the opposite), but he had some issues with people close to him getting injured or hurt. Obviously. Given the fact that his entire family had been taken from him in a single, very traumatic night, that was kind of expected.

Ever since the massacre, Sasuke had tried to keep himself distanced from… everyone, really. But Naruto had been his stupid, brash, stubborn self and wormed his way in until Sasuke _did_ care for him. Sasuke cared a lot for Naruto, and the fact that Naruto had the Kyuubi sealed into himself was horribly frightening. That demon had almost totally destroyed Konoha with little effort, it had only succumbed after the legendary Yondaime _gave his life_ to defeat it – and it was inside Sasuke's best friend. Not only that, but it affected Naruto somehow – not mentally maybe, but it healed him and somehow did _something_ that allowed Naruto to defeat Haku, and if it could do that, who knew what else it could do?

Ever since discovering the seal, Sasuke had been struggling with a slowly building panic that his best friend might be dying right in front of his eyes without his even realizing it. He'd tried to suppress this fear, tried to bury it and be logical and unconcerned, but – discovering there was nothing to worry about was the biggest relief he'd had in _years_.

So yeah, Sasuke just smiled for a minute. If he'd been someone else, he probably would have even cried. But he wasn't, so he just stood in the alley and smiled, taking deep breaths. Naruto was fine. There was nothing to worry about.

-xxx-

Two minutes later, Sasuke was faced with several things to worry about.

Firstly, in his panic he had managed to actually forget that _Naruto was in love with him_. What the hell. How in the world he'd managed to forget that, Sasuke didn't know – even given that he'd been trying his hardest to suppress all thoughts of yesterday, how could he have _forgotten?_

This was a very big problem. Maybe it would have been better if Naruto _had_ been dying. Then at least Sasuke wouldn't have to worry about how to deal with this… utter ridiculousness. What was he going to do? What could he _possibly_ do, except say no?

…But he didn't want to say no.

He didn't want to say yes, either! Sasuke had no desire to agree to Naruto's feelings. Not in the least. But… they had just gained this new level of closeness, this extra trust, and oddly enough, Sasuke didn't want to let go of that quite yet. He didn't want Naruto to be heartbroken because of him – he didn't want Naruto to withdraw from him. For all Sasuke would have denied it, he wanted to be the kind of person Naruto could trust and confide in, the kind of best friend _and_ rival that Naruto could spar with for hours and then talk about the Kyuubi without fear. He wanted to remain Naruto's best friend.

But with Naruto insisting on being in love with him, Sasuke was afraid that was going to be impossible. At least, as things stood now it was. This was a very huge problem, one he needed to deal with as soon as possible, even if he wished it would just go away.

However, there was a second, even more immediate problem. Sasuke needed to deal with this _right away_. He had to. Or else he would never make it back home. The sun had fully set during Sasuke and Jiraiya's conversation, and the street outside the quiet alley had become crowded, loud and bustling. One quick peek outside taught Sasuke why.

Jiraiya of the Sannin, sage, toad summoner, and fuinjutsu master… had left Sasuke in an alley in the middle of the red-light district.

That. Asshole.


	7. Preparation

I... may have to revise the expected length of this story. Maybe more like ten chapters, rather than eight? I can't see any way the story could end next chapter without me rushing into a conclusion, which would be silly. The final scene in this chapter had to be split in two.

Actually, this chapter is not at all as originally planned. The first scene is completely different, the middle came out of nowhere, and the fina scene is split. I like it better this way, but writing this chapter just served to remind me why I never attempt to properly outline my stories. I do not stick to it. At all.

Anyway, enjoy. Things are finally coming to a head. Sort of. Sasuke is kind of a slowpoke, but he's trying to shape up.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seven: Preparation<strong>

Sasuke had always been the kind of person who liked to solve his own problems. When he was little, that attitude had a lot to do with his urge to prove himself, and impress his older… his family. Once they were gone, well, he'd wanted to prove that he wasn't going to have a breakdown, that he could handle himself, so the Hokage wouldn't try to place him with a foster family or remove him from the Academy or something. And after that worry had passed, it was already a matter of habit. Besides, Sasuke didn't _like_ receiving help, any more than he liked needing it in the first place.

That said: Sasuke was not an idiot. He recognized that, as a young genin, he was going to need help with certain aspects of life. Galling as it was, he accepted that, and even realized that he might have to actually _ask_ for help at some point in his life, a difficult idea to accept. Demanding training was one thing, but asking for help was – it was quite another. Even so, he knew he would eventually run into a situation where he would require it, that simply being the way of the world, and had always expected to be able to turn to his jounin sensei in such a time of need.

Sasuke's jounin sensei was Hatake Kakashi.

Kakashi.

…For the second time in two days, Sasuke found himself revisiting the Academy after training had ended. He was determined to deal with the Naruto problem immediately – as in today, if possible. Being forced to march right through the center of the red-light district in the middle of its busiest time (thank all higher powers for _henge_) had left Sasuke with a very, very firm resolve in this regard (the things he had seen: they could not be unseen). Unfortunately, no matter how he'd brooded over it the night before, Sasuke could not come up with a good way to refuse Naruto's confession without destroying their friendship in the process.

It wasn't his fault! For all the confessions he'd received, Sasuke still had basically no experience with love. His standard response until now had been a flat, "No." Generally the ones on the receiving end of this statement were either undeterred fangirls or heartbroken, weeping messes… though still fangirls. Neither of those options was a desired outcome this time.

So, Sasuke had finally admitted to himself midway through sparring that morning – during which he tried his hardest not to get close to Naruto without looking like he was avoiding the other boy, resulting in a very odd sort of half-engaged taijutsu style – he needed help. Badly, given the odd looks Naruto had given him all day, and the many failed attempts he had made to speak to Sasuke. And really, Sasuke's only option was Iruka. The Academy teacher didn't exactly seem like the kind of guy who had tons of experience gently turning down suitors, but then, at least Sasuke could believe that he _knew_ how to be gentle about it. Unlike Kakashi, who was the only other person that came to mind as a potential source of aid. Kakashi was so perverted, he probably wouldn't say no to anyone who came on to him, and even he did, it certainly wasn't likely to be in a way that guaranteed any continued friendship.

Not to mention, he would definitely mock Sasuke mercilessly for even asking, and would probably also figure out just who the person being rejected was.

No. It had to be Iruka.

So yes, Sasuke absolutely realized how necessary this conversation was. But that didn't mean he had to _like_ it. Especially when a certain brat from the day before was snickering in the back corner of the room. Though – to be fair, the fact that he idolized Naruto should have been clue enough to expect to see him in detention on a regular basis.

Sasuke glared at the goggles he sported, half-wishing the kid was sitting close enough for a surreptitious wallop. This was humiliating enough without an _audience_.

His attention was drawn back to the man in front of him by an awkward cough. Iruka's face was bright red – he seemed almost more embarrassed than Sasuke himself. "I – I have to admit, I was expecting another question about fuinjutsu when I saw you coming into the classroom, Sasuke, not…"

There was silence for several moments. "…Hn," Sasuke finally offered.

Konohamaru burst out into another fit of giggles. Iruka absently beaned him with a piece of chalk. "Ah – well… And, er, forgive me if I'm wrong, but… I had gotten the impression you were already somewhat _practiced_ in that – regard. I mean, what I'm saying is," ripe-tomato red, Iruka blurted, "I don't see why you would come to _me_ with this sort of problem!"

There was another long moment of silence. Sasuke was beginning to feel as though his standard practice of ignoring any conversation he didn't like didn't work so well when he was the one to initiate the conversation in the first place.

"My sensei," Sasuke eventually elaborated, very reluctantly, "is Hatake Kakashi." The, 'and I have no one else to ask' went unstated, but when Iruka's eyes went wide, it seemed he'd gotten the message across regardless.

"_Ah._ Well. I see. So… is there a particular reason your – usual tactics – won't work?"

Sasuke shook his head. Eyes aimed at Konohamaru in a vicious squint, blush heating his face, he muttered, "I don't want to – this person, to me – I… don't want to lose the –relationship, we currently have. That's never been a concern, before."

This would be far easier if only he could admit that the person in question was Naruto. Then, at least, Iruka would understand why Sasuke wanted to be more careful about this, not to mention his in-depth knowledge of the boy would provide valuable insight into the best possible way to achieve Sasuke's goal. Well, assuming the overprotective man didn't mind that Sasuke was turning Naruto down. But still, that would require admitting what Naruto had told him, and Sasuke had no intention to divulge that to _anyone_ – especially not with Konohamaru eavesdropping.

Iruka looked puzzled for several seconds, before a large grin burst onto his face. "Oh!" he said knowingly. Sasuke, expecting some sort of tactical advice, eyed the teacher expectantly, only to freeze in horror at the following words: "I see. I'm glad you've finally learned to value your teammates, Sasuke. To be honest, that was always a concern of mine. But then, D-Ranks _do_ bring people together…"

Trapped in a ice-storm of horror following the word 'teammates', Sasuke didn't interrupt Iruka's thoughtful rambling for several minutes. He couldn't think of what to say, or what to do now that Iruka _knew_; all his shinobi instincts seemed to have taken the day off, because he was at a complete loss. All he could do was listen in consternation.

Oddly enough, it turned out for the better that Sasuke did so, because eventually Iruka's thoughts turned to finding a solution, and he said, "Well, if you sincerely explain your reasoning – the importance of maintaining team camaraderie, and how you honestly do value your current relationship, as opposed to simply not caring like in the past – I think Sakura will understand. She might not _like_ it, but – she's a smart girl."

Sasuke blinked three times, then said, "S-Sakura! Ah – you… uh, realized who I meant. Yes." Amidst the flush of deep relief, he sensed opportunity, and pounced accordingly. "But she's very …persistent. Will that actually work? It seems too… well, simple."

"Oh, that'd work on pretty much anyone who valued their team," Iruka said confidently. Sasuke heaved a sigh, suddenly feeling the load of stress on his shoulders lighten considerably. Was this why Naruto hung out with Iruka? The man seemed to exude some sort of relaxing aura – to think, the solution could be so simple. It would be an awkward conversation, but Naruto valued Team Seven very, very much (for reasons Sasuke had only recently begun to fully understand). And if so, if this could really all end with just something as simple as explaining himself, then Sasuke didn't see any reason not to do so.

In fact, why wait? He should just get it over with, right now, and then he'd be able to put it behind him and never mention or think of it again.

"Thank you, sensei," Sasuke said, and left out the back window, stomping on Konohamaru's notebook as he passed and ripping a page of his 'I will never soak the school bandage kit in lemon juice again' lines (served the giggling little fool right).

He left so quickly, in fact, that he entirely missed hearing Iruka's mumble of, "Well, I _think_ it should work. Probably? Then again…"

Perhaps that was for the better.

-xxx-

Unfortunately, Sasuke was unable to locate Naruto around town immediately after leaving Iruka. He knew that if he just went to Naruto's apartment, he'd run into his friend sooner or later if not right away, but Sasuke didn't exactly think that was the best place to go about something like this. Rejection was bad enough, having it occur in one's own home was a bit much. Probably. Sasuke didn't know too much about these matters, but that seemed to make sense.

So in the end, and against his eagerness to have done with the matter, Sasuke decided to wait until tomorrow to locate Naruto. It wouldn't exactly be a challenge, given that Team Seven was meeting for their usual training, and if he wanted, he'd most likely even be able to deliver his message before Kakashi arrived for the day. Sasuke decided yes, he did want that, because the sooner he was freed of this horrible, awkward need to _reply_ to Naruto's feelings, the better.

Perhaps he should have been feeling nervous. Sasuke didn't however; all he felt was anticipation.

The next morning, Sasuke was beginning to wish he'd just gone with his impulsive eagerness to talk to Naruto last night, even if it had meant rejecting the boy in his own home. The nervousness that had been so conspicuously absent the night before was making itself known quite insistently, by way of a hollow, anxious feeling in Sasuke's stomach that put him off breakfast and led to a lot of deep breaths.

Upon arriving at the bridge, Sasuke found himself alone with Sakura, and abruptly had the quite insane idea of testing out Iruka's rejection method on the girl herself. The truth was, he _did_ value her as a teammate by this point, at least whenever she wasn't fawning all over him. Sakura was really very clever when she wanted to be, and if Iruka's technique worked on her then things could only improve. On the other hand, Sasuke realized that his very intense urge to attempt rejecting her in such a way, _right this very instant_, came more out of a strong nervousness regarding his plans to do just that for Naruto, and as such wasn't reliable. He should wait on rejecting Sakura gently, given that his nerves about Naruto were such that he might accidentally say something very cruel without even noticing or caring how Sakura felt. This was made even more likely by the fact that Sasuke had done so to Sakura several times in the past, and tended to automatically treat her terribly as a preemptive measure against her attempts to flirt, even though now he kind of liked her as a person whenever they were in a large group of people and she was focused on something else other than him.

Even so, he was feeling a growing sort of terror at all the many ways things could go wrong, and if only the trial run went well, maybe those fears would go away. He just needed to take his mind _off_ Naruto, just for a minute, he just needed a distraction to give him a little time to breathe –

"Sakura," Sasuke began, but his voice was quiet and rendered virtually inaudible by the loud arrival of the third member of Team Seven.

"GOOD MORNING!" Naruto bellowed, skidding to a halt in front of Sakura. He grinned wildly at her, and then, craning his head around, grinned at Sasuke too.

The smile registered like a blow, and Sasuke flinched, sucking in a breath and holding it. His head twitched, barely a nod but enough for Naruto, who snickered and turned back to Sakura to say hello again, just as loudly and enthusiastically as before, and she yelled equally loudly at him to speak more quietly, and he laughed, undaunted, and –

Sasuke let his breath out very slowly, watching his teammates interact. It suddenly occurred to him that he had not practiced what he was going to say. His most important relationship was riding on this, and he had not even planned out what he was going to say.

_Naruto,_ he thought, desperately. _I – sincerely… I don't want–_ What had Iruka said again? …Crap.

Naruto yelped but made no move to dodge as Sakura thwacked him on the head, and turned to complain to Sasuke. Snorting derisively at the display was second nature, and Naruto only pouted further as Sakura smiled in a way that was almost friendly. This was the cue for Naruto to get indignant, and he didn't disappoint – blaming Sasuke, not Sakura, as usual. But even he seemed to realize the ridiculousness of his actions now, a vast difference from when the team had first formed – his lips twitched, his scowl wavering at the corners and his voice hovering on the edge of laughter as he called Sasuke all the names in the world, and Sasuke was hard-pressed not to smile back.

He spoke one disdainful word before turning away: "Dumbass."

Sakura laughed out loud at the face Naruto made then, and though Sasuke didn't so much as chuckle, he continued to watch the boy out of the corners of his eyes. The sun felt all too bright, glistening off the water and Naruto's overpolished hitai-ite, the air was warm and noisy and there wasn't room for anything else, Naruto was just ridiculous enough to drive it all away; smile breaking over his face as he gave up and laughed too – the world broke down to that smile, and warmth spreading through Sasuke's stomach, and remembering just exactly why he cared so much, and Sasuke smiled too.

-xxx-

"Naruto," Sasuke said, after training that day had ended. His stomach churned, and he almost licked his lips before thinking better of it. "I need to talk to you."

Sakura glanced at him confusedly, but Naruto's eyes lit up.

"Oh – right! _Finally_. Okay. Let's go!" He babbled, reaching out to yank at Sasuke's sleeve. Sasuke pulled his arm out of reach (thinking, _finally? _in an incredulous sort of way), and Naruto gave up, waving at Sakura as the two boys split away from her. "Sorry! We can have a date next time, I've got to go with this asshole today!"

"Idiot," Sasuke muttered.

"Idiot!" Sakura yelled, looking a little hurt. "I wouldn't date you if you paid me!"

Naruto ignored the insults and ran ahead, leaving Sasuke to follow. He was heading towards the main village, which Sasuke hadn't expected, but as they continued to dash across roofs deeper and deeper into the center of Konoha, he realized Naruto was leading the way towards a familiar destination.

"Is your apartment really the best place for this?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto merely shrugged. "Sure. This way, we don't have to worry about anyone overhearing or something. It's cool."

…If he had known Naruto felt that way, Sasuke wouldn't have delayed last night at all. But he didn't say anything, just continued on his way until he reached the appropriate window and bounded in, eying Naruto's kitchen warily.

Naruto closed the window behind them, double-checked the lock on the front door (which was useless in a ninja village anyway, doubly so when the _window had been open_), and finally plopped into the sole seat at the table. Sasuke remained standing, feeling as though he ought to be offended by Naruto's rudeness in not offering his guest a chair, but not sure he'd be comfortable sitting anyway.

Naruto eyed Sasuke expectantly. Sasuke eyed the potted plant in the corner. Time passed.

"_Well?_" Naruto finally demanded. "Come on, you took forever and now you're making me wait even more?"

Sasuke sputtered defensively. "I did not take forever! I – it's only been a few days!"

"And – _and_ you have been acting totally weird. What's up with that, Sasuke?" Naruto's voice was oddly accusatory; his expression quite serious.

Then again, this was a serious matter. Sasuke felt himself flushing, and crossed his arms defensively. It was odd, but for some reason the fact that Naruto was sitting down made him nervous. They weren't on equal ground.

"Of course I'd act weird," Sasuke mumbled, now staring intently at the scratched floorboards.

…He could _hear_ Naruto's complete failure to understand, it was so profound, and snarled slightly, flashing his head up.

For some reason, he felt angry. Sasuke wasn't entirely sure why, but he had a feeling it had a lot to do with Naruto's incredible idiocy about pretty much everything, but romance especially. What gave Naruto the idea that this blunt, tactless, oblivious, demanding sort of attitude was going to get him the kind of reply he wanted?

Then again… if Naruto had been a little more tactful, a bit shyer, or had even bothered to treat Sasuke any different from usual most of the time, Sasuke probably wouldn't have cared this much in the first place. Because a person who'd do that wouldn't have been the Naruto he knew, and that Naruto was the one Sasuke cared about. That absolute idiot Naruto was the one Sasuke didn't want to drive away, no matter how idiotic he might be.

Sasuke forced himself to calm down. Getting angry at Naruto was not what he had come here to do. He had a single goal in this visit, and that was to convey a firm, yet gentle message of romantic disinterest. Getting into a fight with Naruto (who, on second thought, had already exercised an heretofore-unheard-of restraint to go several days without attempting to simply _shake_ a reply out of Sasuke – and whose heart was about to be broken) could only turn out badly.

"Oi, bastard," Naruto hissed, but there was a definite edge of worry under the annoyance now, and Sasuke winced guiltily upon recognizing it – "just tell me the news."

Naruto deserved this. He deserved honesty, and Sasuke deserved peace. Armed with Iruka's advice, this should be less painful for both parties involved, and once they put this whole thing behind them perhaps Sasuke and Naruto would be able to grow even closer than before (as friends).

In the end, this was simply _the right thing to do_.

But even so, Sasuke's gut twisted painfully, and the words tasted altogether _wrong_ on his tongue as he met Naruto's eyes and said: "I don't love you."


	8. Abnegation

I recently answered a review on livejournal, in which I stated that this story could pretty much be summed up by saying, "Iruka knows all; Sasuke misunderstands everything." ...Or maybe just, "Sasuke is kinda dumb."

This chapter, as all others before it, reflects that. (In the most affectionate of ways, really.)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eight: Abnegation<strong>

"What," Naruto said, sounding as though he couldn't decide whether he wanted the word to be a question or a statement.

Sasuke was fairly certain that he had mixed up the order of his words and delivered his message in the worst possible way. Naruto had very blue eyes. He didn't know what to do. "Well, it's not that I _don't_, but. I… don't."

Naruto had yet to blink. His eyes were very blue and they had widened a bit at Sasuke's words, and had not moved since. Sasuke was very aware of those eyes, more so than he was aware of anything else in the world. Though the heat spreading like fire under his skin was a close second. His face was probably the color of Sakura's hair. He felt very small. What had Iruka said?

"I'm saying this wrong. I meant to say – I …_value_ you as a teammate." Sasuke paused. Naruto's eyes worked some kind of kage-level truth and shame jutsu on him, and he added, "And as a friend."

The stare continued. "My b-best friend," Sasuke admitted, and cleared his throat. The admittance didn't seem to make any difference; his fingers longed to grip a kunai. What _else _had Iruka said?

"I don't want to jeopardize that relationship," Sasuke remembered and spoke simultaneously, then in a fit of what was either bravery, fear, or idiocy, added: "So I want you to stop telling me that you love me."

And that was it. Sasuke had exhausted his supply of words. Not only did he have nothing more to say, his throat seemed to have closed up and he wasn't sure if he _could_ speak should he try. He wanted desperately to look away, to leave altogether, but Naruto's wide blue eyes were deadlier than any Sharingan.

A long, long, agonizingly, heart-stoppingly long pause: then Naruto took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.

Without changing expression in the slightest, yet also without adding any emotion into his voice whatsoever, he said, "Oi, bastard. Just tell me the news – _about the seal_."

Somewhere in-between the moment Naruto's eyes closed, and the moment Naruto said 'seal', Sasuke died several deaths. They were small, hot, painful deaths, and he completely deserved them.

-But he was still Sasuke, so he sucked in a breath, averted his gaze to stare at the potted plant across the room once more, and forced normality into his voice. "That's nothing to worry about. I talked to Jiraiya…"

Sasuke automatically paused to allow Naruto to rudely ask who this Jiraiya person was, and his eyes instinctively darted over to his teammate upon hearing the distinct lack of noise. He shivered a little. He'd wished for a silent Naruto so many times… but it was just _creepy_.

"Jiraiya," Sasuke determinedly carried on, flinching away from the sight of Naruto holding himself so very very still, hit by such an _unexpected _blow (but how could he have known, it wasn't his fault), "is a fuinjutsu master Iruka told me about. He said that the seal was acting to filter out your chakra from the… from _it's_ chakra so that it didn't hurt you. So probably the seal should appear whenever you channel chakra, not just during tree-walking, I guess."

"_You_ _told him?_" Naruto's head snapped up, and his voice actually cracked under the words.

Sasuke felt stupider than words. "No, no! He already knew! Actually, he was acting like he knew you personally…"

The sheer betrayal faded from Naruto's body language, but reluctantly, leaving Naruto slumped in its wake, elbows clunking to support him on the table as he caught his face in his hands. Sasuke suddenly remembered that he was still standing. His feet seemed glued in place.

"…That's great," Naruto mumbled to the tabletop. "That it's nothing bad," he then clarified, and, starting to sound marginally like himself again, added, "But I don't know anyone named Jiraiya."

"He's one of the legendary Sannin," Sasuke's mouth said. Sasuke himself was focused on the way he could see the back of Naruto's neck and how far away it seemed.

"What! No fair, how come you get to meet all the cool people?" Naruto asked. His voice sounded perfectly normal by now, and if Sasuke hadn't been looking he would have been completely fooled. As it was, he could feel his Sharingan spinning into life, recording and analyzing the minute twitches in the muscles of Naruto's back, the way his hands were clenching.

"He wasn't cool. He was peeping on the women's baths when I found him," Sasuke's mouth said. And then, eyes still latched on the tiniest evidences of Naruto's well-hidden breakdown, Sasuke did something he would never have done for anyone else. He knowingly made himself the butt of a joke. "And then he abandoned me in the middle of the red-light district. After dark."

Absurd as this statement was, it startled a genuine laugh out of Naruto, who lifted his head up in disbelief. Sasuke quickly forced down the Sharingan. "He did _not_."

"He did," Sasuke asserted, and felt altogether light and dizzy at the snort this provoked out of Naruto. "I had to henge into an old man to get home."

"No way," Naruto snickered, "that's _awesome_," and Sasuke drank it up like water, like air, like forgiveness for being such an unimaginable asshole –

He hardly recognized his own voice. It was buzzing with a strange sort of wild, juvenile excitement that exaggerated his own mortifications just to see Naruto laugh that tiniest bit more, that made it all worth it and more, what had he _done_: "And then, I nearly bumped into this stripper…"

-xxx-

The next morning at the bridge, Sakura was less animated than usual during the half-hour or so she and Sasuke typically spent alone together waiting for the rest of their team, and eventually it dawned on Sasuke that she was still upset about being left out the day before. Thinking back on the past several months, he and Naruto had been spending a lot of time together, or if they weren't physically together Sasuke had been occupied thinking about Naruto. He hadn't paid any real attention to Sakura in a long time, and even Naruto had been interacting with her a lot less ever since Sasuke had found out about the Kyuubi. It was no wonder she was feeling left out, even alienated from her own team.

The quick pang of guilt that shot through him at this epiphany was as powerful as it was unexpected, and before he could think better of it, he'd already opened his mouth.

"Naruto and I have been meeting to practice taijutsu in our spare time," Sasuke said. "Maybe you should come sometime."

Sakura's eyes swung to meet his, wide and just the slightest bit teary. She blinked repeatedly, then quivered her lips up into a smile. "T-thanks, Sasuke-kun," she whispered.

Sakura's tears made him uncomfortable. Sasuke wasn't sure what to do about them, but they didn't affect him to anywhere near the same degree as Naruto's silence had the night before. It felt like that might be kind of mean to Sakura, but really, rather than feeling terribly guilty for making her (almost) cry, Sasuke just felt awkward. He looked away pointedly while Sakura wiped her eyes.

It took her all of thirty seconds to completely regain composure, though, and she actually smiled as she said, "…But no thanks. I'd just be holding you guys back, anyway."

Naruto would have denied that vehemently. Sasuke recognized it as the truth, and merely nodded. "You should catch up, then."

Sakura's, "Un!" seemed strong enough that it wouldn't take very long for that to happen, and Sasuke thought that maybe the time spent being ignored by everyone else had done her a lot of good as a ninja.

He didn't mention that, though. She would probably think it was a love confession and backslide all the way to her Academy behavior.

-xxx-

The mental picture of Sasuke trapped in the red-light district, being propositioned by prostitutes and strippers and all the various in-betweens (no matter how exaggerated) seemed to have restored Naruto completely to normal at the time. But Sasuke still had the image of Naruto's clenching fingers locked into his memory by the Sharingan. He still had the recollection of those lightning blue eyes locked blankly to his own for what seemed like forever…

And worst of all, he could recollect Naruto's voice as clearly as if the words were being said again right in front of him: "…tell me the news – _about the seal_."

Sasuke had never intended his rejection to be so unexpected. He'd thought – well, really he hadn't had any basis for thinking so; Naruto had never explicitly said he wanted an answer. But nonetheless, that last confession in the woods had felt so vivid, so different from all the rest and _final_ somehow; it demanded a reply. Sasuke had panicked and scrambled to produce one, unwilling to make Naruto wait.

…And in doing so he'd sucker-punched Naruto with unanticipated rejection. Great. Good job there, Sasuke. _Real_ well done.

Still, Sasuke knew Naruto well enough by now to realize that however deeply the rejection had affected him, Naruto wasn't going to let Sasuke see. And he didn't. He just acted like he always had, albeit with the occasional added jibe about ladies of the night. Sasuke, feeling horribly guilty, proceeded to put a lot of effort into acting normally right back, and in fact even friendlier than before.

He felt like he had to prove that he was still going to be Naruto's friend, even if it caused him some discomfort and made Kakashi and Sakura give him odd looks occasionally. But he and Naruto were getting back to normal, and that was what was important, because it was _working._

Or at least it did seem to be working, until the day Sasuke finally managed to properly pull off that taijutsu move they'd been practicing.

-xxx-

It was a breezy day, just enough to take the edge off the summer heat. Naruto was extra fired up, because there was ramen riding on the outcome of today's practice and so far he was winning. Sasuke was teeth-baringly ready for whatever his friend tried to get him with; he always took an extra bit of malevolent pleasure in winning and then making Naruto eat yakiniku instead of ramen on the days they bet dinner on the outcome of their training. It was, he justified, healthier to vary one's diet (the facts that he could get tomatoes at a yakiniku place, and that Naruto looked hilariously dejected every single time, weren't mentioned).

He wasn't even worrying about whether Naruto would consider the excursion some sort of date, as he would have a week ago. It was strangely freeing.

Altogether, Sasuke was enjoying himself more than usual. Despite the deadly missiles and violent taijutsu being thrown around, the sparring today felt almost like playing for some reason. It was clear Naruto felt that way too, by the grin on his face, and as a result even the insults they yelled at each-other were less than vehement.

Of course, the fact that they both knew Naruto was going to attack Sasuke from the side in a certain way eventually could have made the exercise a bit boring, but Naruto always managed to make himself unpredictable somehow.

Still, the attack did eventually come, just as Sasuke was finishing off a trio of kage bunshin in front of him. But this time was different somehow. Even as Sasuke noticed Naruto in his peripheral vision, fist just about to collide with his jaw, his attention was caught by a gust of wind in front of him. It spun through the air, whipping a few leaves in a looping, twisting pattern that moved both vertically and horizontally at once.

Suddenly, after weeks of aggravating practice and scroll study, everything made sense. Sasuke swayed back as he always did – but this time he moved _down_ too, and when he caught Naruto's arm, he twisted his grip and applied the pressure of his own body swaying back upwards at the same time, smoothly yet with significant force.

Naruto's back hit the ground hard. He scowled, and Sasuke, crouching over him with a kunai to his throat, smirked back. Of course, Naruto attempted to get free; but Sasuke had one arm twisted close to the point of breaking, and the other crushed underneath his weight. He'd shifted so one knee was braced between Naruto's own, in such a way as to disallow any attempts at kicking him off – in short, Sasuke had Naruto pinned.

"You," he said, viciously, "are buying me yakiniku."

"You," Naruto positively snarled, "suck."

Sasuke smirked down at Naruto for a few moments longer, basking in his victory. The moment was finally broken when Naruto cleared his throat pointedly. "Gonna let me up, bastard?"

Sasuke jolted. "Oh. Right."

But he waited another moment before pulling back and getting to his feet. Once he _was_ standing, he was forced to jump back and take cover behind the nearest tree, as Naruto immediately tried to enact his revenge, but that had been expected.

What had him frowning as the sparring continued, was the fact that he had been expecting something else in that pause before standing, something he couldn't quite identify, but which had definitely not occurred when it should have.

-xxx-

Sasuke always ate more than he really needed to on yakiniku nights. Sometimes it was because he and Naruto had run across Team Ten (or just Shikamaru and Chouji) in the restaurant, and everyone at the table ate more than they ordinarily would have in some half-hearted effort to keep up with Chouji. Sometimes it was because Naruto antagonized him into a very immature eating competition. But the vast majority of the time, Sasuke ate lots of yakiniku whenever it was available because whenever yakiniku was available, that meant Naruto was the one paying. Sasuke thought of it as a sort of revenge for whenever he was forced to buy Naruto twenty bowls of ramen in one sitting. He couldn't eat that much, but yakiniku was more expensive, so it evened out somewhat.

It did cause the unfortunate side-effect of making Sasuke feel sluggish and sleepy that night, but that was a minor drawback. He just read scrolls that night, or went to bed early for once. Team Seven always did enough physical training the next morning that Sasuke didn't have to be concerned for his fitness in any way.

Settled down in bed, rereading a scroll about the Sharingan, Sasuke actually felt quite comfortable. This past week had been almost unnaturally peaceful, now that he'd finally told Naruto how he felt. Sasuke had been worrying about Naruto in some capacity or another for so long now that it felt almost weird not to be. Actually… something during the day _had_ made him concerned for a moment.

Sasuke put the scroll away and turned out the light, laying on his back and looking at the dark ceiling as he tried to figure out exactly what had felt so odd when he'd managed to pin Naruto earlier. His form had been fine, that wasn't it. No, something about Naruto himself had been off. But he'd reacted normally. Insults, violence – and then it hit Sasuke.

He sat up in bed, horrified. Immediately, he tried to deny it to himself, to rationalize it away. But facts were facts, and he recognized just what had been so _weird_ when he'd finally pinned Naruto down.

He'd pinned Naruto down. He'd been on top of Naruto, his face had been just above Naruto's own. They had been completely alone. It was the perfect environment for a hushed, "I love you."

But Naruto had not said the words. In fact, not once in the past week had he confessed to Sasuke, no matter how many opportunities there had been. Which should be just fine – after all, it was exactly what Sasuke had asked for.

…But Sasuke hadn't liked it at all, waiting for the confession that had never come.


	9. Realization

This chapter is chock-full of Sasuke monologuing. For someone who speaks so little, he sure goes on and on.

Um, let's see. What else. The next chapter is the last, unless Sasuke does something incredibly stupid (again). Or Naruto, for that matter. There's been a suspicious lack of Naruto stupidity this entire fic.

Oh, yes. Credit for the idea of incorporating a certain green-eyed monster (heh, that's slightly punny) goes to **xBunni**... though I realize I didn't include it in quite the way it was suggested. Still, it turned out pretty important, so credit where credit's due!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nine: Realization<strong>

Sasuke found himself justifying his feelings wildly to himself, much in the same way he had after Naruto had hugged him. It wasn't anything _wrong_, or _weird_, he told himself. He'd just gotten used to Naruto's confessions; that was all. They had been going on for some time, after all. It wasn't like Sasuke was counting on them, or anything. He didn't _look forward_ to hearing Naruto say he loved Sasuke practically every day. It was just… expected, now, and so of course it threw him to not hear any confessions.

But really, Sasuke had specifically asked Naruto to stop telling him such things. It would be really hypocritical of him to turn around and be upset at not hearing them anymore – not that he _was_ upset, he just found it a little disconcerting! Obviously he wouldn't like the sensation of waiting for something and never receiving it, no matter what the something in question was. If he ordered a meal at a restaurant and it never came, Sasuke would have been irritated too, regardless of whether he actually was hungry or not. Just to reiterate: it wasn't like Sasuke actually _wanted_ to hear Naruto say those three words again.

…Except he really, truly did.

Sasuke typically was a master of ignoring issues he didn't want to deal with, but that skill somehow didn't extend far enough for him to successfully fool himself this time. Much as he wanted to deny it, he _had_ enjoyed Naruto's confessions when they had been coming, and he really did miss them now that they were gone. The truth was, even given the way Sasuke had worked himself up into a panic about how to react to the confessions, it had felt _good_ to know that he was loved so much. He'd been kind of flattered, even. And now – well, he'd just gotten spoiled. Normal people didn't receive love confessions on such a frequent basis, regardless of what sort of relationships they might have. Even if no one was telling him constantly, that didn't mean no one loved Sasuke anymore.

…Even if Naruto wasn't telling him, that didn't mean he'd stopped loving Sasuke.

Oddly enough, it was this small, simple thought that eventually ended up calming Sasuke enough to finally fall asleep, heart still thumping a little too hard from his inner panic.

Naruto still loved him. Of course he did. Naruto was too stubborn to stop loving him over such a little thing; he definitely still loved Sasuke whether he was saying so or not.

Naruto loved him.

-xxx-

…Did Naruto love him?

Sasuke felt like an idiot – a sensation he was experiencing altogether too much these days. When he had gone to sleep, it had all seemed so simple: Naruto loved him, of course he did.

But as soon as he woke up, Sasuke's analytical brain started poking holes through that comforting certainty. No matter _how_ stubborn Naruto was, there was virtually no chance he could love Sasuke anymore, not after the way Sasuke had been treating him.

Sasuke went about his morning routine in a daze, mentally reviewing his behaviour since the first confession, trying to look at it from Naruto's point of view. He didn't know when or why Naruto had developed such feelings in the first place, but… Wave might have had something to do with why he'd worked up the courage to confess them in the first place. Sasuke had to admit that if the person he had a crush on had suddenly died (or seemed to die) to save him, he would feel a bit more confident about letting them know his feelings.

So, Naruto had confessed. And… well, even if he _had_ been a little more sure of himself, he did still know Sasuke very well, and it was clear that he still would have been nervous about his reception based on that factor alone, let alone the fears he must have had about his status as the Kyuubi's jailer. Given Naruto's personality… and given the way Sasuke _had_ reacted (a fireball, a punch, steadfastly ignoring each new confession for the longest time) maybe Naruto had been right to go the road he had in treating his confessions like a prank. It had to make Sasuke's nonverbal rejections easier to accept – they weren't _serious_ after all, because the whole thing was just a prank anyway, nothing to get upset over.

And in fact Naruto had shown no sign of intending to deviate from his joking, pranking style of confessions. He hadn't been asking Sasuke for anything. Even if he hadn't been _giving up_, it wasn't like he was trying terribly hard, either. That attitude was quintessentially Naruto – making a joke out of anything that mattered too much.

If Sasuke hadn't lashed out at Naruto and then discovered his secret, things on Naruto's end probably wouldn't ever have changed. He would have kept up the act of asking Sakura out, would have kept confessing to Sasuke, would have kept smiling and playing the fool and not acknowledging his own feelings as truly important. The thought made Sasuke's stomach clench up.

But then, Sasuke _had_ learned about the Kyuubi. That must have been a scary time for Naruto – his best friend, his _crush_ had discovered his secret, and by all signs had reacted exactly the way Naruto most feared people reacting. Sasuke's visit to Naruto's flat, and his casual acceptance of the matter must have been …simply unbelievable. No _wonder_ Naruto had hugged him.

And no wonder Naruto had, after that, gained enough confidence to face his feelings head on. He'd told Sasuke how he felt – honestly, without pretense. And (although Sasuke hadn't interpreted the scene this way at the time) without even asking anything in return. Naruto had probably known by then that Sasuke didn't feel the same way about him. But he'd wanted to honestly convey his own feelings regardless, and so he'd trusted Sasuke with his feelings, as well as with his secret.

Those two things might very well be what Naruto held dearest in all the world – and what had Sasuke done with them? He'd distanced himself from Naruto for days… and then he had delivered a needlessly harsh rejection, and had even (for a moment) led Naruto to believe he had leaked the secret of the Kyuubi too.

And yet, despite all of _that_, Naruto hadn't stopped being Sasuke's friend. _Sasuke_ would have. If someone he trusted and loved had stepped all over his emotions in such a way, he would have broken the relationship then and there. He would have _hated_ them, not sparred with them the very next day.

Naruto had been forgiving of him, almost impossibly so, and Sasuke's insides shriveled up horribly at this realization. Could he really expect such forgiveness to extend to the point that Naruto still _loved_ him despite everything?

There was no way, Sasuke concluded regretfully. Not even Naruto could possibly value a bond that unconditionally.

Naruto didn't love him anymore.

-xxx-

Sasuke didn't make a big deal out of it. Of course he didn't. It would be beyond unreasonable to do so. Just because Naruto didn't love him anymore, that didn't mean anything had to change. It was clear from the way he was behaving that Naruto, while perhaps no longer romantically interested in Sasuke, did still value their friendship. That was fine by Sasuke. That was the way it should be.

And, okay, fine. He admitted it (to himself and no one else). In some weird, demented way, Sasuke had actually sometimes sort of enjoyed being loved by Naruto, and missed it a little, even now. _But_ that was only because Sasuke had a very screwed-up history when it came to love, and had become accustomed to receiving Naruto's. And, just like Naruto, Sasuke really did value their friendship. He wasn't going to compromise it now, not when the current situation was basically all his fault anyway. No, Sasuke was going to value Naruto _as a friend_, and Naruto was going to be his _friend_ right back, and there would be nothing else to it. And that wouldn't bother Sasuke at all, because he couldn't _let_ it bother him – to do so would be absolutely despicable of him, and cruel to Naruto all over again.

Basically, Sasuke was sick of feeling guilty and sentimental, and vowed to himself that he would just selectively forget anything and everything relating to Naruto ever loving him. He was pretty good at ignoring things he didn't like; this wouldn't be hard at all, easy even.

And – aside from the constant twisting ache in his gut whenever Naruto got too close, or too far, or too quiet, or smiled too widely, or looked too serious, or took off his shirt, or didn't say 'I love you' – it was. Sasuke eased off on the over-friendliness born of his guilt, and things began to settle back to normal. It was just like before, really, except for Sasuke and Naruto being a little more openly friendly. Even the discomfort Sasuke felt around Naruto was fading, bit by bit. Life was… if not good quite yet, then certainly getting there.

So of course Kakashi had to ruin it all.

-xxx-

For once, it didn't seem to be on purpose. In fact, this time Kakashi's actions were actually those of a responsible sensei, for probably the first time since he'd allowed Team Seven to pass the bell test. Not that this meant Sasuke forgave him. No, he was even angrier at Kakashi for that very reason – if only Kakashi had been acting like a responsible sensei all along, they wouldn't even _be_ in this mess. But no, of course Kakashi had to put off teaching his students anything useful until doing so would wreak absolute havoc on Sasuke's personal life. That was just _typical_ of him.

It all started with Kakashi's proclamation, one sunny afternoon (moments after the man arrived, though he'd instructed his students to meet him at nine in the morning), that it was time he start doing more individual, focused training with them.

Naruto, halfway through his usual greeting shout, switched tacks instantly: "That's a li- _really?_ What do I get to learn? Is it a super-cool A-class jutsu? I want to know how to –"

Sasuke tuned the babble out at that point, suddenly recalling just how annoying Naruto was capable of being. He'd improved a bit from the Academy, but his voice was still rather grating when he got excited like that…

Sakura, too, seemed to lack the patience to deal with Naruto's excited ranting, as she promptly hit him over the head. She was excited too, though, and had a bit of a sparkle in her eyes when she turned to Kakashi. "What do you mean by that, sensei?"

Kakashi's eye curved up in a smile. "Until now, we've been working mostly on improving your weaknesses – taijutsu, teamwork, chakra control (though that last doesn't apply to you, Sakura!). Now it's about time to start playing to your strengths a bit. If you guys do well on this, we can start taking more out-of-village missions again."

Even Sasuke perked up a bit at that one. After the disaster in Wave, despite the mission technically being a success, Kakashi hadn't taken any missions outside of Konoha limits, and Team Seven was getting a little stir-crazy.

Kakashi actually giggled at the look on his student's faces… though he'd just opened his book, so maybe it wasn't because of that at all. Still, he continued on: "Sasuke, it's time for me to start teaching you more about your Sharingan. Sakura, your chakra control is excellent – we'll start putting that to use in battles. Naruto…"

Kakashi trailed off, staring thoughtfully at his final student, who was bouncing up and down excitedly.

"What? What do I get to learn?" Naruto asked eagerly.

"Naruto… your chakra reserves are enormous. Given that, I'm going to teach you some useful jutsu that require more chakra than most. Enemies won't be expecting something like that from a genin either, which will work to your advantage."

Naruto leapt straight up in the air. "YES! Jutsu! Finally!"

"Yes, finally!" Kakashi agreed, before tossing a scroll each to Naruto and Sakura. "So, you two study those until you can perform those techniques properly, then come back here. If you don't get it today, we'll meet as usual tomorrow and you can ask me any questions then… we'll continue doing that until you manage the jutsu, even if it's not tomorrow. Sasuke and I will be in Training Grounds 10. Sasuke, get moving."

Their sensei paid no attention to the increasingly dejected looks on both Naruto and Sakura's faces, and merely lifted two fingers in a casual salute before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

In the pause that followed, Sakura sighed. "I guess it makes sense," she said. "Sasuke's not going to learn how to use his Sharingan from a scroll, and we can."

"But - but – that's not fair!" Naruto moaned. "Sasuke, you bastard, why do you get all the special treatment?"

Well, at the time Sasuke had actually been pleased to be the only one training directly with Kakashi, so he'd just dashed off to Training Grounds 10 without deigning to answer Naruto. However, several days later, he was beginning to regret being so secretly happy, for a few reasons.

Firstly, Kakashi was a slave driver. When training all of Team Seven he'd always been rather laconic and lazy… and he still was, just in a very demanding, mean way. He told Sasuke the bare minimum of a hint about how to use his Sharingan more effectively, and then spent two hours casually attacking Sasuke while giggling into his porn and occasionally complaining about Sasuke's lack of progress. Of course, Sasuke was trying his hardest just to fend off his sensei's attacks, which always became extremely vicious the moment he attempted to activate his Sharingan, and so the lazy taunting was _extremely_ aggravating. But there was nothing he could do about it, given their relative skill levels, though that didn't mean he wasn't going to try his hardest.

Secondly, the training was boring. Sasuke realized he shouldn't really be complaining about valuable one-on-one training in such a way, but really, he didn't see what was too terribly different than before, except that Naruto and Sakura weren't around. He didn't feel like much progress was being made. All he was doing was defending himself from Kakashi, while practicing making seals as quickly as possible, and unsuccessfully attempting to utilize his Sharingan. He hadn't learned any special jutsu, or even any particularly amazing taijutsu techniques. In contrast, Naruto and Sakura were making regular progress.

Yes, the third reason had to do with Naruto and Sakura. From the very beginning, Sakura had been making steady progress through the scrolls Kakashi tossed to her every morning, which Sasuke gathered were teaching her some method to weaponize her finely-tuned chakra control. He didn't know how exactly she was doing so, but apparently she was doing it very well. Even though this spoke well for her future career as a ninja, it irked Sasuke to have Sakura surpassing him in any regard.

But at least he was able to take some comfort in the fact that Naruto wasn't making any headway whatsoever on his scroll. He complained about how confusing it was every morning, though as soon as Sasuke had offered to help him figure out the instructions, Naruto had clutched the scroll to his chest and refused, claiming there was 'no way he'd _help_ Sasuke steal his precious jutsu!' Since Sasuke had actually planned on attempting the jutsu himself if possible, there wasn't much he could say to this, but it was still annoying.

What was even _more_ annoying, though, was when Naruto asked Sakura to help him learn his jutsu. For some reason, she didn't refuse, and ever since then, every morning Sasuke would arrive to find his teammates crouched over the difficult scroll in question, discussing it in low voices – only to quickly roll it up as soon as Sasuke arrived. In his quest to master the jutsu (whatever it was) Naruto had actually taken to arriving even earlier than Sasuke.

It kind of made Sasuke want to arrive even earlier himself, just to spite them, but he resisted the urge. Somehow, doing that would feel too much like giving in. And besides, if Naruto was irritating him, all Sasuke had to do was wait for their regular extra training session together, and beat his friend up until he felt better.

-xxx-

…He didn't feel better, though. The whole time they were training, Naruto kept demanding that Sasuke show off his new skills. Of course, not really having any new skills to speak of, Sasuke declined. He didn't admit his real reasons, obviously, just said, "I don't need any new techniques to beat you," which got Naruto all fired up anyway.

But Sasuke (despite winning the spar) still felt irritated. Every day, he made no progress, and Kakashi was infuriating, and he didn't get a single respite because Naruto and Sakura were off training together somewhere, looking all cozy together even though Sakura was supposed to hate Naruto, and having so much _fun_ learning their fancy new jutsu from their top-secret scrolls, and –

Sasuke started off his next set of attacks with a large fireball in Naruto's direction, but the angry heat within him didn't subside.

-xxx-

It all came to a head the day Sasuke ran into Konohamaru on the street.

Well, actually he didn't run into the little brat. It was more the other way around, except Sasuke dodged and Konohamaru ended up slamming face-first into a stone wall. Sasuke rather enjoyed that sight, actually, but of course the little imbecile started wailing then and drew the attention of just about everyone on the street.

Including Naruto and Sakura, just turning around the corner.

For a moment, Sasuke's vision went white-hot with rage. He couldn't comprehend what they were doing together. Training was over for the day – it was nearly dinnertime. Didn't Sakura have to be getting home? What reason did she have to hang out with Naruto when they weren't training? She was supposed to hate Naruto. She was supposed to like _Sasuke_, not Naruto. And as for Naruto – he was also supposed to…

Well, no. Naruto didn't like Sasuke anymore. But why was he hanging around Sakura so much? Did he like her again? Why would he? Okay, so she was far less annoying now, and she had been helping Naruto a lot with that stupid scroll, but why the hell would Naruto start _liking _her again? And why hadn't Sasuke known about it?

All these questions sped through Sasuke's mind in a furious loop as he watched his teammates approach. Konohamaru's wailing cut off as soon as he noticed Naruto (it had been nine-tenths melodrama in an effort to gain pity), to be replaced by a wide grin, and a cheerful, "Hiya, boss!"

Naruto waved back. "Yo. What's up, Konohamaru, did Sasuke beat you up?"

"You're teammate's a jerk!" Naruto's fanboy proclaimed, and Sasuke grit his teeth, trying simultaneously to resist the urge to thwack Konohamaru about the head, and to pry his eyes away from the comfortable distance between Sakura and Naruto's shoulders.

Luckily, Sakura thwacked Konohamaru for him. "Sasuke's not a jerk!" she snapped.

"Oh yeah?" Konohamaru challenged. "You're just saying that 'cause you've got a _crush_ on him, you ugly girl!"

Moments later, Konohamaru collapsed to the ground, several large lumps sprouting from his head. Sakura smiled sweetly down at the twitching, moaning mass he had become. "What was that?"

The child merely glared up at her, prompting Sakura to begin an angry lecture on proper respect to one's elders and pretty girls.

Naruto, watching the whole affair with a hand rubbing awkwardly at the back of his head, chuckled nervously. "Um, I'm not even going to get involved," he decided. "Hey Sasuke, how are you doing? It feels like I haven't seen you in a while, even if it's only been a few days… Do you want to come get ramen with us?"

_Us_ suddenly seemed like a very large word. It spread through Sasuke's mind, obliterating all else. _Us_. Ramen with _us_.

Naruto was smiling. Sasuke felt like punching him right in the center of that smile, for some reason. He really didn't know why. It wasn't like it concerned him whether or not Naruto was eating ramen with Sakura. He didn't actually care.

"…Are you on a date?" Sasuke asked, because he could lie to himself all he wanted, but he still couldn't explain why he felt such bone-deep _anger_.

Naruto blushed. "Wh– No! …Does it look like we are?"

Sasuke frowned. "You're eating dinner alone together. How is that not a date?"

Naruto's blush only grew, and he avoided Sasuke's eyes. For some reason, that seemed very suspicious, and Sasuke began to feel very warm himself, and a little tense. For some reason.

"Um, I didn't ask her out," Naruto admitted. "Sh-she's taking me out to celebrate."

"…Celebrate what?"

"None of your business." Naruto was definitely avoiding his eyes now. Sasuke abruptly came to the realization that his teammates were undoubtedly dating, but didn't want him to know. Of course Naruto wouldn't, after what had happened such a short time ago. Though it wasn't like Sasuke was going to oppose their relationship. It wasn't like he cared. He didn't. He was just…

He was just _really pissed off_.

"Fine!" Sasuke snapped, and spun jerkily on his heel to stomp away home. He could find something to eat. Even if he hadn't been able to go shopping for a while, he probably could fashion some sort of meal out of the contents of his kitchen cupboards.

Above all, he was not in the mood for ramen with Sakura and Naruto.

-xxx-

In some sick twist of fate, all that Sasuke had in his kitchen cupboards was a pack of instant ramen. He stared at it for a few seconds, before slamming the cupboard door shut and storming off to bed. Fine. He didn't need to eat dinner then. He wasn't hungry.

Sasuke's stomach growled, and he kicked the wall before flopping face-first into bed. _Shut up_, he told his belly. _Stop contradicting me._

He was really angry. At Naruto, and at Sakura, and at Konohamaru, and at that idiot pervert Kakashi for starting all this, and at his stomach for being hungry, and his kitchen for only containing ramen, and his wall for being hard enough to make his toes _really hurt_ now, but mostly at himself for being so unreasonable.

Sasuke just didn't understand why he was so pissed off. Okay, so he wasn't learning as much as he'd thought he would. He hadn't even activated his Sharingan all week, as Kakashi had told him not to use it outside of training, and every time he tried to use it in training, Kakashi just about murdered him until Sharingan was the last thing on his mind. At least his reaction times were becoming a lot faster, and his speed in making handseals was on the rise, too. That was something.

And, yes, Sakura was doing well too. She had actually been working quickly enough to receive a new scroll every morning, even after she'd started helping Naruto as well. Sasuke might not have seen the results of her apparently-successful training yet, but that didn't really matter – he knew the results were there, whereas he wasn't receiving many at all. But her increasing abilities were actually a boon for the team, and Sasuke was confident he'd still be able to defeat her in the end, so Sakura's progress wasn't really bothering him that much.

As for Naruto – well, that was where Sasuke kept getting stuck, his thoughts losing all coherency in a swirl of rage. _That_ was where the anger was coming from. But there wasn't really any reason for Sasuke to be angry at Naruto – he knew that. So they weren't spending much time together anymore – that wasn't Naruto's fault any more than it was Sasuke's. No, that was purely due to Kakashi. And even the fact that Naruto was training with Sakura was (sort of) Kakashi's fault. The fact that Naruto was _dating_ Sakura, however…

As soon as he thought that, Sasuke knew what was going on. The true cause of his anger – it was because Naruto was dating Sakura. And Sasuke wanted that to be because Naruto hadn't told him. He wanted it to be because Naruto was going out with Sakura so soon, which must mean he'd never felt so strongly for Sasuke in the first place. He'd even prefer it if he was angry because he liked Sakura himself.

But that wasn't it. That wasn't it at all, Sasuke realized all of a sudden. He couldn't care less about those reasons. They didn't explain why the lack of Naruto's 'I love you's were _still_ bothering Sasuke, and they didn't explain why Sasuke was so angry at Sakura for being nice to Naruto. Those reasons just plain weren't true.

What was true, was infinitely worse. The truth was… horrible, but suddenly Sasuke was _realizing_ it, and he wasn't hungry at all now. Actually he felt kind of like throwing up.

The truth was that Sasuke was jealous.

The truth was that Sasuke… liked Naruto.

"Damn you, Kakashi," he whispered into his pillow, face probably literally on fire. "This is all _your_ fault."


	10. Declaration, II

Okay, I'm a liar. This isn't the end. Well, it sort of is, but there's an epilogue too, which will tie up all the loose ends. The epilogue might be from Naruto's POV. Not sure yet... but it's definitely coming.

This chapter hated me. Or rather, the jutsu Team Seven spent last chapter learning hated me. It took me forever to come up with what they learned. I didn't want to give them super-awesome jutsu, because that's not exactly the focus of the story and because they're growing more steadily in this verse, but they all had to learn something at least moderately cool. So that took forever. I'm pretty satisfied with what I ended up picking. By the way, Naruto's jutsu is too hard to control for him to use like crazy, thus keeping it from turning him into uber-Naruto.

Umm, what else. Oh yes! I've been thinking of going back and adding little blurbs to all of the chapters. For instance, this chapter's would be as follows: _In which Kakashi is evil, Sakura makes Sasuke look like an idiot, Naruto kind of **is** an idiot, and Sasuke finally mans up and does something._

What do y'all think? If you like it, I'll go back and add those to every chapter. If not, I might add them anyway, because _I_ like the idea. In any case, thanks for being so patient, and enjoy the last official chapter (and remember, there will be an epilogue!)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Ten: Declaration<strong>

Sasuke was beginning to suspect that he might have a slight case of emotional retardation. Oh, nothing _too_ terrible, just… a total inability to understand his own emotions until the absolute worst possible time. After all, if he had realized his own feelings two weeks ago, then he would have been able to respond to Naruto's confession in kind, and then everything would be fine. Though, at the moment, Sasuke was actively trying to block out all thoughts of just what 'fine' might entail, because every time he pondered too long on the subject of what liking Naruto meant he wanted, he started to feel very hot and woozy and altogether humiliated.

…But in a kind of good way.

Anyway, now he was faced with a dilemma. He'd decided, about halfway through the night, to just acknowledge to himself his slowness in the emotional arena and move on to more important matters. Matters such as what the hell he could do now.

His options were kind of limited, after all. Naruto didn't love Sasuke anymore. Oh no, he'd seen to that (_idiot, idiot, idiot,_ Sasuke told himself, and then called Naruto an idiot too for good measure). In fact, Naruto had decided quite splendidly to move right on to the next available teammate.

By the way, Sasuke was really disappointed in Sakura. Wasn't she supposed to hate Naruto? Then he remembered that he'd convinced her to work hard as a ninja just last week and that she had probably decided being a good ninja included getting along with one's teammates, and then had stopped hating Naruto in favor of dating Naruto. Then he punched his pillow and ripped it in half, scattering feathers everywhere. Then he decided not to dwell on that little detail, either.

Sasuke moved on to thinking about training, getting off the Naruto subject altogether for a while. This lasted all of ten seconds before he punched what was left of his pillow a few times, clenched his teeth, and stomped out of bed, muttering various obscene words. Really, just – _damn _Kakashi.

…He was running out of coherent thoughts.

Sasuke made himself stand very still. He took a deep breath, held it, and let it out. He closed his eyes. He strove for inner peace.

He swore, kicked the wall, and swore again as the pain in his toe flared up again.

Then Sasuke went to the kitchen to make himself some instant ramen, because he was getting hungry again and he clearly wasn't going to get any sleep tonight.

-xxx-

Morning came, a perfect summer sun in a perfectly blue sky, and cheerful for just about everyone in the world except for Sasuke. He dreaded meeting up with Team Seven; the thought that when he arrived at the bridge he'd see Sakura and Naruto whispering together over some _stupid_ scroll made him feel almost violently ill.

But Sasuke left home at the same time he always had, because there was no way in hell he was going to advertise his emotional state to anyone. He walked swiftly, stomach fizzing in what was either nerves or indigestion from stale instant ramen, and arrived at the bridge exactly on time.

…Or he thought he had. Sasuke stared, all nerves blown right out of him in his utter shock at arriving to a team meeting _last_.

He quickly looked up at the sun, trying to estimate the time from its position in the sky. It _seemed_ right, and he could've sworn all his clocks were accurate, but Naruto was known to pull stupid pranks like that and – no, wait, Naruto wasn't grinning. Naruto looked just as stunned as Sasuke felt, and Sakura's face was actually quite pale. Both of them were staring at Kakashi.

"What–" Sasuke stopped, unsure what to say next.

Naruto licked his lips and swallowed nervously. If Sasuke weren't so completely blown out of the water at the scene he found himself in, his new awareness of that sort of gesture may have made him very embarrassed.

"He was already waiting when we got here, too," Sakura eventually whispered, still looking like she'd seen a ghost. "I think he came… _early_."

Somewhere amidst the very world imploding, Sasuke took a moment to want to stab his teammate for her use of the word 'we'. It wasn't like she'd stayed over at Naruto's place or anything – heck, Naruto wouldn't have known what to do with her if she had! Most likely they had just been meeting to do their scroll study again. Sasuke knew that, he wasn't an idiot.

Still, though. Stabbing didn't sound bad.

"Sasuke," Kakashi spoke up, sounding more amused than usual. "You're late. Shame on you. Punctuality is a very important quality in a ninja."

Naruto actually gurgled. Sasuke very nearly saw Sharingan red. Sakura still seemed in too much shock to leap to his defense, and just continued staring.

"I'm not _late_," Sasuke finally grit out. "You're just – evil."

He wouldn't normally admit this, but he was under a lot of stress right now, and besides, it was true. Naruto was nodding fervently, and even Sakura seemed unable to argue otherwise.

Kakashi sounded as though he were pouting when he next spoke: "And here I just wanted to reward my hardworking students! I guess the Road of Life really is preferable to an alarm clock…"

Whatever reaction he may have hoped to provoke, it didn't come. Sasuke poured all his energy into his glare, Sakura was still just staring into space, and Naruto – well, Sasuke wasn't looking at Naruto so it wasn't like he knew what Naruto was doing. He had no reason to be looking at Naruto. He was glaring at Kakashi. Naruto was beside the point right now.

Naruto, Sasuke noticed, was also glaring at Kakashi.

Well… good.

"Anyway!" Kakashi said. "You've all been doing pretty well in your individual training, so I think we can call that quits for now and get to that out-of-town mission." He paused to allow cheers. Naruto was the only one to do so, and even he quickly stopped himself in favor of glaring even harder at his sensei. Kakashi coughed awkwardly. "…Right. But first, it's time you all give each other a little demonstration of what you've learned, yes? It's important for your teammates to know your skills, after all. Sakura, you're up first."

This time, Naruto's cheer was long and loud and heartfelt. Sakura finally snapped out of her daze to smile a small, eager smile. Both of them seemed very excited about this demonstration, and Sasuke's glare grew a little more hateful at the thought that he would be the only one to fail in producing something impressive.

-xxx-

He slouched against a nearby tree, watching sullenly as Sakura walked out to the middle of the clearing in front of them. She took a few deep breaths, then reached up with both hands to tie her long hair back. After doing so, Sakura lowered her hands, and stood still with a look of deep concentration on her face. For a long time, nothing happened.

Then, Sakura began to float. She went higher and higher, until she was standing even with the tops of the trees, where she then proceeded to bow proudly.

"You can FLY?" Naruto shouted in shock. "What was _in _those scrolls?!"

Sasuke, on the other hand, merely clicked his tongue in irritation, linked his hands together in a single seal, and said, "_Kai!_"

The genjutsu broke; Sakura wasn't up in sky, but standing right between her teammates, grinning widely with her hands held loosely behind her back. Naruto jumped in surprise, and started to yell again, but Sasuke cut him off quickly.

"It was just an illusion, Naruto. And an obvious one at that; don't tell me you're really such a bad ninja as to be fooled by something like _that_. She made the seals when she was tying up her hair."

Rather than wilting under Sasuke's less-than-glowing evaluation of her new skill, Sakura's grin grew even wider. "Actually," she said, "I never even left this spot. That was an illusion too."

_That_ caught Sasuke's attention. He'd detected the obvious pulse in Sakura's chakra levels when she'd been tying up her hair, and had instantly (and scornfully) realized it was a basic genjutsu at work. But if she had actually cast the genjutsu much earlier, then that meant she was far better at this than he had initially supposed. He hadn't even noticed her casting the jutsu, despite her standing right next to him, and then she'd been clever enough – and had enough chakra control – to willfully pulse her chakra at the right moment in her illusion to completely fool the more observant Sasuke as well as Naruto. That really _was_ impressive – she could have stabbed either one of her teammates before they could ever respond, thus transforming a fairly simple jutsu into an effective weapon. Sakura really did deserve praise.

But Sasuke didn't feel inclined to give her any, not when he had just been made a fool. Naruto was already laughing hysterically; it would compromise Sasuke's pride too much to actually go _complimenting_ Sakura now.

"Hn," he said instead, looking pointedly away. Naruto's laugh grew a little louder, and even Sakura giggled a little. Sasuke did not like the feeling of _those two_ laughing together at his expense. His already dark mood got a bit darker.

"Excellent job, Sakura," Kakashi interjected before the Naruto's mocking could get too out of hand. For a moment, Sasuke felt grateful. "This is, of course, only one of the many ways you can utilize your chakra control and natural intelligence in battle. These qualities could aid you in becoming a genjutsu specialist, or perhaps even a field medic – I'd encourage you to start thinking more about what you want to focus on in the future. But fooling Sasuke's good enough for now."

No, on second thought, there was no reason for Sasuke to ever be grateful for anything Kakashi ever did, because all of the man's actions turned out to be evil in the end. _That_ was the real meaning of his stupid "look underneath the underneath", Sasuke knew it.

"…Speaking of which, Sasuke, it's your turn to show off your new skills."

Sasuke trudged out to the center of the clearing very slowly, trying hard to think of some new skill he could demonstrate. None came to mind. Finally he decided that he'd just have to use an old jutsu, one he already knew but had never demonstrated before his team… only to think over his list of techniques, and come to the depressing conclusion that he'd revealed all his cards over the course of the Wave mission. Sasuke had absolutely nothing to show, Sakura had just made him look like a dunce, Naruto was watching, and it was _all Kakashi's fault_.

But just as he opened his mouth to admit his utter lack of progress (a slight increase in speed just wasn't enough to match up to Sakura's genjutsu trick), his sensei wandered out to join him in the field.

"Now, Sasuke's new trick might be a little hard to demonstrate on his own, so I'll give him a hand," he announced. "Sasuke, go ahead and use your Sharingan. I want you to copy my hand-seals exactly, as fast as you can."

Then, without even giving Sasuke a single moment to prepare, Kakashi launched into a blindingly fast series of seals. Quickly, Sasuke activated his Sharingan and copied the movements as well as he could. Much to his surprise, he was able almost to keep up, and could even detect the shape of the chakra Kakashi was forming and pouring into the technique. _Oh_, he realized, _those seals were just a diversion. The real move is –_

Then the world blurred around him, and Sasuke focused all his attention on controlling his movements and coming to a sharp stop before he hit a tree. Instead he stumbled a bit, and caught himself with a hand on Naruto's shoulder. His teammate was staring at him in apparent awe.

"He taught you that teleportation jutsu all the jounin use? That is _so cool_. Can you go anywhere in the world? Can you take me with you? Sasuke? Hey!"

Sasuke didn't answer, too surprised even to get annoyed at Naruto's misunderstanding of Shunshin – it wasn't a teleportation jutsu, it just gave the user incredible speed so that it looked as though they had disappeared. They'd gone over that in the Academy, but then again Naruto had probably been asleep during that lesson.

No, Sasuke was more focused on the fact that he had managed to complete the jutsu – or rather, he'd been able to accurately discern the flow of Kakashi's chakra instead of just watching his physical movements. Up until now, only one of his eyes had been capable of doing this, and that ability was iffy at best. Now, it had been almost automatic, and as a result he'd been able to master a new technique without any forewarning whatsoever.

Kakashi was chuckling. "You may have thought this week's training was useless, but speed and battle stress are both essential to the development of any Sharingan user. You've managed to gain another tomoe now; isn't that great? And although Shunshin is a D-ranked jutsu, we still don't usually teach it to genin as they're not typically capable of controlling their movements at such a high speed. It's very impressive that you didn't launch yourself halfway through a tree – well done, Sasuke."

The praise went a little way towards appeasing Sasuke's temper of the morning, and Naruto's open admiration went a little further (Sakura was equally admiring, and had in fact been praising Sasuke too this whole time, he'd just chosen to ignore her). Of course, Kakashi could have just told him all of this at the beginning of the week and spared Sasuke all that stress and frustration, but... better late than never. After a moment, he smirked a little, his bruised pride slightly recovered.

And so, it was Naruto's turn. He sauntered out into the middle of the field with a skip in his step, clearly eager to show off his new abilities. Once he was a good distance away from his teammates, he formed a very familiar seal and shouted some very familiar words: "Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

Honestly, was Naruto even capable of going a single day without making clones?

Sasuke sighed, but continued to watch expectantly, using his new Sharingan to the fullest as he analyzed Naruto's chakra flow. Naruto grinned widely, then said, "Okay, flying and teleporting might be awesome, but you guys've got nothing on me! Check _this_ out! Bunshin Daibakuha!"

The single clone Naruto had created exploded. It was mostly a vertical blast, but there was still a fair bit of damage all around it – and anyway, Naruto had been standing idiotically close to the clone when he activated his jutsu. He was directly within the circle of destruction.

Or, he _would_ have been, if Sasuke hadn't detected the unstable change in the clone's chakra flow just in time and used his own new technique to dash across the field, catching Naruto on the way. He doubted Naruto's reflexes were fast enough to perform Kawarimi. Or he would have if he had been thinking. Mostly he just acted, and moments later came to a painful halt on the other side of the field, having lost his balance with the combination of great speed and Naruto's added weight. The pair tumbled to the ground as the explosion shot up behind them, and Sasuke really should feel angry at Naruto's idiocy, or at least worried about it, but he just couldn't bring himself to care. Not when Naruto had landed directly on top of him, and his wide blue eyes were staring down at Sasuke, and his body was very warm, and his face was _very close_, and Sasuke couldn't breathe.

With a single, quick movement, Sasuke shoved Naruto off of him and stood up, turning away to hide his blush. "Idiot! If you're going to make an explosion, then make sure you're out of the blast zone!"

He began stomping back across the clearing, stepping carefully around the smoldering wreckage Naruto's new jutsu had left behind. He did not wait for Naruto. He did not look at Naruto.

Thus, he was unprepared for Naruto latching on to his arm. "Aw, you really _do_ care," the idiot laughed. "Thanks, Sasuke, I wasn't thinking. I mean, I would've been fine, but –"

"You don't know that!" Sasuke snapped, yanking free.

Naruto chuckled sheepishly, following Sasuke back towards their teammate and sensei. "Um… No, I kinda do. I sort of exploded some on myself already, earlier in the week. It's a really hard technique to control, that's why I needed Sakura to help me, and I still can't do more than one clone at a time when I'm using it – but still, isn't it totally awesome?"

Sasuke really did consider yelling at Naruto about his idiotic self-endangering tendencies, but at this point Sakura had probably done more than enough of that. So he shoved that impulse down, and smirked instead. "Totally awesome? Please. If you really can get caught in that explosion and come out of it fine, then it's basically useless. It took you _all week_ just to master a jutsu that doesn't do any good? You really are the dead last, aren't you."

This had the desired effect of starting Naruto off on a furious and mostly illogical tirade that finally ended in him proclaiming, "You're just _jealous,_ Sasuke!"

And okay, yes, that particular choice of words had Sasuke tensing up for a minute, but Naruto clearly didn't mean it that way. He was totally oblivious to how Sasuke felt – and what's more, Sasuke realized with an odd sinking feeling in his gut, Naruto would remain oblivious forever. The imbecile wasn't ever going to notice Sasuke's feelings for him, and Sasuke couldn't really blame him – he had just noticed himself, after all.

But he _wanted_ Naruto to notice. He wanted Naruto to already know, to at the very least be aware of how Sasuke felt, so that he'd understand the ramifications of saying stupid things like that. Even if it was selfish to reveal now; maybe even especially _because_ it was selfish. Sasuke was a selfish person. He always had been. And he wanted Naruto to know how he felt. Even if it was too late, even if he was happy with Sakura now, Sasuke wanted Naruto to _know_, damn it.

But the only way to ensure that was to tell him.

-xxx-

To say Sasuke wasn't well acquainted with the art of confessing love was something of an understatement. Oh, he had tons of experience _receiving_ such confessions, and as such knew quite well how they usually went.

But if he dragged Naruto to stand under a sakura tree in full bloom, it would only remind him of Sakura. Most other 'romantic' places would do the same, unless they made Naruto hungry or bored – both very likely possibilities, and not the sort of mood Sasuke was going for.

If he cooked him a bento with a love confession written inside, not only would Naruto eat so fast he wouldn't notice the words, but he'd complain that it wasn't ramen. And Sasuke's cooking wasn't so great, so he'd probably also accuse Sasuke of trying to poison him.

Sasuke refused to even consider giving a Valentine. For one, that was practically a year away. And also that would make him the girl, _plus_ it would automatically give Naruto a month before he had to reply. Not to mention Naruto didn't seem to know what Valentine's Day even was.

Also off-limits were any love letters, stalking, fawning over, and general fangirl nonsense. Of course, Sasuke could always just go the 'Naruto route', and break into Naruto's home at two in the morning to whisper his feelings, but Naruto would think it was either a dream or an ambush.

There was, of course, the basic fallback, which was just to get Naruto to accompany him somewhere private and not located near any sakura trees in full or even partial bloom, and just flat-out tell him: "I love you." But there were complications even with that; Sasuke would have to explain why he'd already claimed _not_ to love Naruto, and then he'd have to listen to Naruto reject him in favor of Sakura, and there just wasn't going to be time for a private conversation of that length during their upcoming mission. Said mission, to escort a merchant from his home village in the outer reaches of Fire Country to Konoha so he could sell his merchandise, was going to last several weeks. And even if there probably wasn't going to be any A-ranked missing-nin attacking them this time around, Team Seven were still going to have their hands full guarding the merchant's goods from bandits. Not that bandits were really a challenge, but they should be fairly time-consuming at least, and on a guard mission getting any alone time would be rather difficult.

Sasuke supposed he could just wait until the mission was over. But, in much the same way that he was selfishly determined that Naruto know how he felt, he also wanted Naruto to know _now_. Or at least as soon as possible, so he was determined to confess some time during the mission. Plus, if he confessed far from home, Naruto would be less likely to inadvertently go spreading the news of Sasuke's feelings around to all the ninja in town. That was a humiliating prospect, and highly probable to boot.

Really, Sasuke was starting to wonder if it would be best just to tie Naruto up, gag him, and _then_ confess. That way he could avoid the conversation part entirely, and the whole problem would be solved. …He had a nagging feeling, though, that that probably wasn't the best way to convey his feelings.

Kakashi had only given them two hours to go home and pack what they needed, and most of that had already elapsed while Sasuke packed and panicked. Seeing as Kakashi might actually be _on time_ again today, he didn't have time to go ask Iruka for more advice. He almost desperately wanted to, but there was no way in hell he was going to be later than Kakashi twice in one day. No, Sasuke was going to have to do this himself.

-xxx-

…And he was going to have to do this _fast_.

He was running out of time. Since their client was waiting at his village, Team Seven had been able to travel at full ninja speed (well, for Sakura, anyway – everyone else could have gone faster, but she wouldn't have been able to keep up) on the way there. It had taken them only three days to travel eighty percent of the journey.

The first day, Sasuke had been frantic, recalling every single confession he had ever ignored in an attempt to figure out which would work for Naruto. In the end, he'd only confirmed his initial thoughts that none would be suitable. That, and wasted a day.

The second day, Sasuke spent alternating between wishing Iruka was around to ask for advice, and wishing Konohamaru was around to drop-kick his frustrations out on. He also dedicated some time to staring furtively at Naruto, realizing how attractive his friend was (in a stupid sort of way), and then getting embarrassed for thinking so – not to mention paranoid that Kakashi or Sakura had figured everything out from his furtive staring. Naruto stripping down to his boxers so that he could cannonball some fish out of a river for dinner probably did not help matters.

The third day, Sasuke had been all sorts of useless, because Sakura finally got worn out from their grueling (for her) pace, and Naruto volunteered to carry her until she felt better. Sure, she didn't actually _let_ him, but he still spent the whole day hovering worriedly near her and making Sasuke want to practice his fire jutsu in their direction.

Now, it was the night of that third day – the last night. Tomorrow they would arrive at their destination, where they would be busied with civilians and pottery in desperate need of guarding. There wouldn't be another chance for the next several weeks as they traveled back to Konoha at civilian speed. Sasuke couldn't wait for weeks. He was itching constantly with the (fairly ironic) unpleasantness of unspoken emotions, and wanted nothing more than to throw them at Naruto for _him_ to deal with. Once the pressure was on _Naruto_ to respond, for once, Sasuke thought he'd be able to finally relax a little.

The only problem was, Kakashi was sleeping in the same tent as the boys and he'd refused to take watch at any point so far, claiming jounin rest took higher priority than genin rest, especially if another Zabuza happened along and he was too exhausted to take care of him this time.

("What would you do _then?_" he'd asked the first night, with what sounded like a yawn behind his mask as he unrolled his bedroll.

"We'd beat him on our own, just like we did when you got caught last time!" Naruto snarled in return. Kakashi, unimpressed, put him in charge of cleaning up after dinner and erasing all signs of their having camped there the next morning, then stayed up half the night reading his porn.)

But for once, Sakura and Kakashi both seemed to be on Sasuke's side – she was allowed to sleep through the night to catch up on her rest, with Kakashi taking over her shift. This left Sasuke and Naruto with a three-hour window alone in their tent, from two to five AM. Not ideal timing, to be sure, nor the ideal location, but at this point it was the only option Sasuke had left. He'd just have to go for it.

-xxx-

So here he was.

Two in the morning, hovering over Naruto as he slept, preparing to whisper, "I love you" and then probably get punched in the nose (Naruto didn't know any fire jutsu). Sasuke really hadn't wanted to go this route, but he was out of options now so it looked like he'd just have to copy his teammate and hope it wasn't taken as a mocking gesture.

At least there wasn't much to it. No cooking, chocolate-making, or letter-writing involved. He hadn't even had to scout out the location – that, along with the crucial timing factor, had been taken completely out of his hands. All Sasuke had to do was say three simple words. Three very small, simple words.

Three very terrifying words, which he'd only said to three people _ever _in his life, over five years ago.

…Shit, he couldn't do it.

It was impossible. What the hell had he been thinking, anyway? Why did he even care? Sasuke curled up in his bedroll, facing away from Naruto, and closed his eyes very tightly. There wasn't any _point_ in confessing. It wasn't like it was going to change anything, or accomplish anything except his own humiliation. Naruto was dating Sakura. _Sakura_. He'd been very vocally crushing on Sakura since he was seven! Sure, he'd liked Sasuke, but that was pretty well ruined by now.

And besides, was Sasuke even ready to call this love? He'd realized he was jealous, yeah. And his stupid imagination had returned with a vengeance to supply him with idiotic daydreams aplenty, but that didn't exactly mean this was anything serious. Just because Naruto was the person Sasuke cared about most in the world, that didn't mean this infatuation was going to last or anything. Why should he waste his words of love on something like that? There was no reason. None at all.

Sasuke had just about decided that he didn't like Naruto very much at all and would be mostly over him by morning, even, when Naruto snored loudly, kicked him in the butt, and mumbled, "Miso's the best…"

And the wave of _stupid_ affection that washed over Sasuke at that was impossible to deny. He had to admit it. His feelings were real, no matter how recently he'd realized them. He knew they were; he was just too scared to make himself so vulnerable again.

Sasuke had been hurt by someone he loved in the past. He'd even done it to Naruto recently himself. He _knew_ how much worse such a hurt was than any physical pain, and he didn't want to experience that again. He didn't want to lose what little he had now, which was almost solely Naruto's friendship. Sure, he had Kakashi and Sakura too, and even the rest of the Rookie Nine, but they meant so much less than Naruto did. Sasuke knew all of Naruto's secrets, and even if Naruto didn't know all of his, he thought he'd probably be able to share them, and trust Naruto to keep them secret as well. There were plenty of challenges to their relationship – recently, more than most – but they'd always made it through, and even become closer because of them. Hell, Sasuke had valued Naruto enough to die for him in Wave, and they'd hardly even known each other then, at least compared to now.

…Maybe they would make it through this, too. If not, Sasuke only had himself to blame. And he had no excuse not to try – Naruto had, after all. They were rivals; Sasuke couldn't lose over something as stupid as three one-syllable words.

He rolled over determinedly. He had to do it now. His last-minute cowardice had wasted nearly all his time; the sun would be rising soon. There would be no more backing out. It was time for action.

So Sasuke acted, copying Naruto at the start of it all, bringing the whole debacle full circle. He crouched over his teammate and poked him in the cheek until Naruto woke with a bleary, "StoppitSasukeeee."

Sasuke waited until Naruto had finished yawning. Then he leaned forward until their eyes met. _What the hell_, he thought, and copied even the grin Naruto had worn so long ago. It felt awkward, but so did everything else, and at least it got Naruto's attention. "Listen up, dumbass," he said, stomach flipping uncontrollably and palms sweating and face too hot by far – "I love you."

Then he kissed Naruto, because he felt like it and because there was no way he was just going to copy the idiot without beating him at his own game, at the very least.


End file.
